Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 1855 



a. Base of pectoral broad, the fin fan-shaped. 



h. Snout naked above as is the interorbital space. 



c. Eleventh dorsal spine nearly as long a.s twelfth ; maxillary 2 in head ; inter- 

 orbital space 10 in head; eye 3 in head (young specimen). TJnifonu 

 rosy, intermingled with pearly white. maceolepis, 2248. 



cc. Eleventh dorsal spine \ as long as twelfth. 



d. Eye 5i in head; maxillary reaching f across eye; head 4 in total 

 length; spinous dorsal low; pectoral pointed; supraorbital ten- 

 tacle 5 in total length ; carmine red, withoixt marblings. 



CASTOR, 2249. 

 dd. Eye 4 in head ; maxillary reaching anterior third of orbit ; spinous 

 dorsal high ; pectoral rounded ; carmine red, with vertical rosy 

 bands. POLLUX, 2250. 



6&. Snout fully scaled above; interorbital space with few scales, top of head other- 

 wise entirely scaly. eathbuni, 2251. 

 aa. Base of pectoral narrow. 



e. Head without filaments ; nape and top of snout scaly ; ventrals reaching vent. 



Pectoral rays 16. longispinis, 2252. 



ee. Head with simple slender filaments; top of head, including interorbital spi-ce 



and top of snout, entirely scaled ; ventrals not reaching vent. Pectoral 



rays 18. SIBBEA, 2253. 



2248. PONTIXUS MACROLEPIS, Goode and Bean. 



Head al30ut 2\ ; depth about 3 ; depth of caudal peduncle equal to snout. 

 D. XII, 10; A. Ill, 5; P. 17. Width of head about 2 lu its length. Scales 

 6-22 (tubes)-lO. Interorbital space deeply concave, 2 in snout, 10 in head. 

 Eye about 3 in head (in a young individual). Post orbital part of head 

 2 in distance from tip of snout to origin of spinous dorsal. Maxilla 

 reaching beyond middle of eye, 2 in head; mandible reaching to posterior 

 border of eye, about 2 in head, equal to length of ventral fin. Teeth in 

 villiform bands on jaws, vomer, and palatine; a naked space at symphy- 

 sis of intermaxillaries, into which fits a projecting spur at tip of mandi- 

 bles; mandible with slight symphyseal knob and 3 large pores along 

 middle of its surface. Nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tym- 

 panic, parietal, and nuchal spines present; a paroccipital spine and 2 

 humerals; 2 stout, flat spines on opercle, 4 on preopercle, uppermost 

 largest, and with supplementary spine at its base, third larger than sec- 

 ond or foiirth. Suborbital carina consisting of 3 spines; 2 on prcorbital, 

 both bending backward. Four rudiments and 2 developed gill rakers 

 above angle, 9 developed rakers on anterior limb of arch, developed 

 rakers with small knob at tip. Preocular filament very short ; supraocular 

 filament about 3 in eye. Anterior nostril tubular, with thin narrow flap ; 

 distance between anterior nostril and eye equals interorbital width ; pos- 

 terior nostril not tubular. Scales larger than in Poniinus longispinis or 

 castor. Interorbital space and top of snout scaleless; head otherwise 

 entirely scaly. Distance of dorsal from tip of snout twice the maxilla; 

 first spine f of second; third longest, about 2^ in head; penultimate spine 

 about 5, and last spine 4 in head ; first and last spines equal ; longest ray 

 about 3i in head; caudal almcst truncated, middle rays about 2 in head; 

 anal origin under second dorsal spine, length of base 4 in head; first spine 

 about 2| in second ; second 2! in head ; third shorter than second, about 



