Jorilan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 639 



ocellated black spot behind, disappearing in adults; caudal faintly 

 clouded with dusky, especially about the middle; ventrals pale, some- 

 what soiled. 9 , olivaceous, sides paler olive, with metallic luster; belly 

 white; 7 to 15 very narrow, sharply defined black bars on sides, not 

 extending on the back, scarcely broader than the pupil ; scales marked 

 as in the males, but umch more faintly; fins pale, almost immaculate. 

 Length 6 inches. Coast of the Gulf States, in brackish waters and shal- 

 low bays; very abundant from Florida to Texas, {similis, similar, the 

 sexes being nearly alike.) 



Ui/draiyijra similis, Baird & GiRARP, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1853, 389, Indianola, Texas; 



(Coll. Clark); Girard, U. S. & Mex. Bound. Surv., Zolil., C8, pi. 35, figs. 1-8, 1859. 

 Fundulus similis, Gunther, Cat., vi, 323, 18GG; Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 



252; Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 3.33, 1883. 



930. FUNDULUS MAJALIS (Walbaum). 

 (KiLLiFisii ; Mayfish ; Rockfish.) 



HeadSf; depth 4. D. 12; A. 10; scales 36-13. Body oblong, scarcely 

 elevated, little compressed; head rather prolonged anteriorly ; the mouth 

 small, terminal, and very oblique; scales rather large; dorsal fin moder- 

 ate; anal fin very high in the males, moderate in the females; ventrals 

 long in the males, reaching past front of anal; eye moderate, shorter 

 than snout and than interorbital space ; a slight angle formed by the 

 profile, in front of the eye, due to the greater flattening of the snout. 

 Males dark olivaceous above; sides silvery or somewhat golden, with 

 about a dozen broad transverse bars of the color of the back ; posterior 

 part of the dorsal fiu with a black patch; fins yellowish or pale. Females 

 olivaceous above, white below, a narrow black longitudinal stripe along 

 sides about on the level of the eye and as wide as the pupil ; below this, 

 two similar black stripes auteriorly and one posteriorly, the upper one 

 being interrupted; one or two black bars at base of caudal. Females 

 usually larger than the males. A large male of this species, in high color- 

 ation, taken at Beaufort, N. C, showed the following colors in life: Back 

 olive, sides and belly bright salmon yellow ; lower fins clear yellow ; pec- 

 torals and anal with some dusky ; posterior edge of caudal dark ; dorsal 

 nearly all black, a large black ocellated spot on the last rays ; opercles 

 and underparts of head with an inky suft'usion; cheeks, top of head, 

 and mouth bronze yellow ; sides with about 18 narrow, dusky vertical 

 bars. Teeth in a broad band ; an outer row of rather large teeth. Ovi- 

 duct adnate to first anal ray for a short distance. Length 6 inches. Cape 

 Cod to Florida; the largest of our PwcUiida", abundant in shallow bays, 

 especially northward. (mrtj«/is, pertaining to May, translation of Mayfish.) 



Mayfish, SciiiiPF, Xaturforscheren do Freunde, 1788, 172, Long Island. 



Cobitis majalis, Waldaum, Artedi Pise, iii, 12, 1792, Long Island; after Maijfish of SciiiiiT. 



Esoxflavuhis, Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., i, 1815, 439, New York. 



Esox. zonains, Mitciiill, Trans. Lit. &. Pliil. Soc. N. Y., i, 1815, 440, New York; young. 



Hydrargyra trifasciala, Storer, Journ. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1837, 417, Massachusetts. 



Hydrargyra venmlis, Civieu A Vai.enciexnes, Hist. Hat. Poiss., xvill, 206, 1840, presented by M. 



Leconte, probably from South Carolina. 

 Hydrargyra majalis, Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xviil, 207, 184G. 

 Funduhta majalis, Gunther, Cat., vi, 322, 18C6; Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 331, 1883. 



