Jordaii and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 1843 



rays (except the uppermost one) branched; ventrals reaching beyond 

 vent, the last soft ray attached to the body for | of its length by a rather 

 broad membrane. Supraocular flap long and slender, longer than orbit, a 

 little more than 3 in head; preocular flap small; flaps at base of spines of 

 preorbital and lower spines of preopercle, small ones on cheeks, mem- 

 brane of spinous dorsal, and on many of the scales of the body; larger 

 flaps on lateral line and along base of dorsal fin. Scales large, rather 

 smooth, with membranaceous edges; a few rudimentary scales on front and 

 flap of opercle, on preopercle and lower part of cheek; breast with small 

 scales. Color dusky olivaceous or brownish, whitish below; a few large 

 diffuse dark spots on sides above, nearly as large as eye; the posterior 

 part of each scale darker, giving a slight speckled appearance; axil pale 

 with small dark spots, which are also sparsely present along lower part 

 of sides ; pectorals mottled, faintly banded, their lower part paler ; spi- 

 nous and soft dorsal and anal irregularly marbled ; caudal with median and 

 terminal blackish bauds ; ventrals dusky at tip ; sides of head dark, with 

 some small darker spots; snout, interorbital space, and tip of maxillary 

 dark, faintly marbled ; under side of head whitish or marbled with brown- 

 ish ; peritoneum white. Atlantic coast, from Charleston to Eio Janeiro. 

 The specimens on which this description is leased are from Pensacola, 

 Florida, {hraailiensis, from Brazil.) 



Scorpmm hrasHiensis, Cuvier & Yalenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 305, 1829, Brazil; 



GuNTHER, Cat., n, 112, 1860 ; Jordan, Cat. Fish., 109, 1885 ; Meek & Newland, Proc. Ac. 



Nat. Sci. Phila. 1885, 395, 399. 

 Scorpcena stearn^i, Goode & Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mns. 1882, 421, Pensacola, Florida 



(Coll. Silas Stearns); Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 614; Jordan & 



GU.BERT, Synopsis, 951, 1883. 



2239. SCORP.ENA HISTBIO, Jenyns. 

 Head 2;,- (2^ in total length) ; depth 3^ (4 in total length) ; width of head 

 over preopercles 3|; orbit high up, 4J in head. D. XII, 10; A. Ill, 5; P. 

 20; transverse (obli(iue) rows of scales 25; tubes of lateral line 23 to 25. 

 Body compressed, its width at base of pectorals 2 in head ; caudal peduncle 

 short, its depth a little less than orbit. Head heavy, its depth and width 

 equal. Interorbital space narrow, 2 in orbit, deeply concave, the con- 

 cavity with sloping edges and rounded bottom, and without prominent 

 ridges; preocular ridges very thick, prominent, with strong, prominent 

 spines; supraocular ridges thin, high, with very blunt spines; postocular 

 spines on rim of orbit, external and posterior to supraoculars ; another 

 small spine on rim of orbit below and a little behind postocular; the bifid 

 spine a little behind middle of posterior margin of orbit, and behind this 

 a small exoccipital spine with a thin tjrominent ridge; a pair of sharp 

 "coronal" spines, with small pits in front of them; thin, rather high 

 parietal and nuchal ridges, of about equal length, with blunt spines. 

 Occiput with a pit of moderate depth, its longitudinal width 1;^ in its 

 transverse width, continuous on each side, between "coronal" spine and 

 parietal ridge, with a pit behind superior posterior border of orbit, its 

 anterior side 8loi)ing backward, its posterior side nearly vertical, sloping 

 slightly forward between anterior edge of parietal ridges. Nasal spines 



