2170 Bulletin ^7, United States National M^iseum, 



Trigla punctata, Bloch, Ichtliyol., pi. 353, 1793, Martinique; on a drawing by Plumiee ; 

 CuviEE, Rfegne Animal, Ed. 2, vol. ii, 161, 1829. 



Prionotvs ptmctatus, CwmR &■ Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss.," iv, 93, 1829; Gunther, 

 Cat., II, 193, 1860 (in part) ; Jordan &. Hughes, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1886, 332; Jordan, 

 Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1886, 544 ; Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1890, 328. 



2498. PRI0>'0TITS BEAMI. Goode. 



Head 3 ; depth nearly 4 ; greatest width 4 ; eye nearly 4 in head or 2 in 

 snout. D. X-12; A.I, 10; P. 13 + 3; V.I, 5; snout 2 in head, equal to 

 mandible. Least height of tail nearly ^ length of head, and equal to short 

 diameter of eye; width of interorbital sjiace on the bone about i length 

 of snout; a furrow behind eyes which is interrupted on najje; snout pro- 

 duced into 2 short, obtuse, serrated poiuts. Hanked behind on each side by 

 a short but stout compressed spine; behind this on snout another short 

 spine; a short spine on cheek bone; anterior nostril in a tube which is 

 produced posteriorly into a flap; posterior nostril in a large, shorter tube; 

 preopercular spine, also, with a short spine at its base; preocnlar and 

 supraocular spines present; a pair of postoeular spines on each side, one 

 in front of the other; a pair of blunt spines on occiput and another on 

 nape; length of opercular spine, measured back to the edge of preopercle, 

 equal to length of postorbital part of head ; humeral spine well developed, 

 its length nearly equal to that of preocnlar; maxillary not reaching front 

 of eye, its length equal to postorbital part of head; mandible reaching 

 about to vertical front of eye, its length nearly i length of head. Teeth 

 in narrow, villiform bands in jaws and on vomer and palate; 8 developed 

 gill rakers on the anterior arch, the longest about i as long as eye; 5 rudi- 

 ments below and 2 above the developed rakers of the anterior arch, these 

 mere tubercles scarcely raised above the general surface. Distance of 

 dorsal from tip of snout a little greater than length of head; length of 

 base of spinous dorsal nearly 3 times length of eye; first spine serrate on 

 its anterior margin for the greater jjortiou of its height, nearly as long as 

 the second, its length S- length of head; third spine longest, its length i 

 length of head ; last 2 spines very small ; third spine also serrated along 

 its anterior margin for the greater portion of its height; a very slight 

 interspace between the 2 dorsals; length of first ray of soft dorsal equal 

 to that of second spine of dorsal ; length of last ray equal to i length of 

 spinous dorsal base; length of middle caudal rays 3 times length of eye; 

 caudal slightly emarginate; origin of anal immediately under origin of 

 soft dorsal; length of anal base 4 distance from anal to tip of snout, the 

 spine only about f as long as first ray, its length i length of maxilla; 

 length of longest anal ray i length of spinous dorsal base ; ventral extend- 

 ing to origin of anal, its length equal to anal base; pectoral Avhen 

 extended reaching to the line connecting the fifth ray of dorsal with sixth 

 ray of anal, this fin emarginate behind, its longest ray slightly longer than 



* The types of Cuvier & Valenciennes in Paris seem to be the speoies usually called 

 Prionotits punctattii. There is also a specimen in the museum, labeled, apparently in 

 the handwriting of Valenciennes : " Trigla punctata nobis, Bl.. 253. Tr. Carolina, BL, 252. 

 Prionotus evolaiis. Lacep. Jiubio volador, Parra, tab. 38, du Brisil. Qnoy et Gaimard, exp'n 

 Freycinet." This specimen, 0.25 m. long, in good condition, is of the same species as the 

 one described above. Longest dorsal spine 2J in head. Pores in lateral line 85 to 90. 



