850 Bulletin 4J, United States National Museum. 



elevated ; last spine very short, only connected with first soft ray within 

 the groove. Second dorsal not elevated, first rays equal to li length of 

 longest spines. Third anal ray not reaching basis of caudal ; scales bor- 

 dering anal fin, prolonged into grooved blades; body scales strongly 

 pectinate, not grooved; muzzle contracted, especially laterally, the max- 

 illary reaching anterior margiu of pupil ; anterior supernumerary maxil- 

 lary minute ; operculum finely denticulated ; opercular spines 2, equal, 

 elongate ; a pair of smaller spines at summit of operculum ; one spine 

 directed backward at front of preorbital bone, all the lateral bones ser- 

 rate ; interorbital carinae very weak ; ventral fins not reaching vent. 

 Color in spirits silvery; a brown longitudinal band between each two 

 rows of scales, to middle of sides; below this brown punctse in the same 

 position ; head brown shaded ; fins white, except first dorsal, which is 

 blackish ; the membranes of first to third spines black, with white or pale 

 spots at base and one at margin ; chin brown. Length of type 2| inches. 

 This species difl^ers from H. ascensionis, of the same size, in the wider inter- 

 orbital space, narrower muzzle, upper pair of opercular spines, free oper- 

 cular serration, deeper body, color, etc. It differs in coloration from the 

 species described by Poey, who also does not mention any of the pecu- 

 liarities of this fish in any of them. Bahamas ; one specimen known. 

 (Cope.) {siccus, dry ; fero, to bear.) 



Bolocenlnim sirciferum, CoPE, Trans. Amer. Philos. Sue, xxx, 1866, 465, New Providence, 

 Bahamas. 



1235. HOLOCEXTRIS ST'BORBITALIS, Gill. 



(MOJAREA CaRPENAL.) 



Head 3; depth 2?; eye 2i ; snout 4^. D. XI, 14 ; A. IV, 9; scales 1-38-7. 

 Mouth moderate, scarcely oblique, maxillary about reaching middle of 

 eye. Longest dorsal spines If in head ; soft dorsal about as high as 

 spinous portion, sheathed with scales at base ; third anal spine l^in head ; 

 first anal rays about as long as third anal spine, the others graduated to 

 the last, which is less than half length of first ; pectorals about as long 

 as third anal spine or li in head ; ventrals as long as pectorals. Steel 

 colored, thickly sprinkled with dark dots, which become less numerous 

 downward ; the fins are dark, the dorsal lighter on the anterior half at the 

 base between the spines ; the suborbital chain is bright silvery and 

 immaculate. Adult specimens recently obtained at Mazatlan are described 

 as follows: Head 3; depth 2|. D. XI, 12; A. IV, 8; V. 1,7; scales 

 3-36-7, 7 on cheek. Dorsal spine If ; dorsal ray If ; caudal li ; third 

 anal ^. Pectoral 1|. Maxillary slipping under preorbital. Ventral with 

 accessary scale ; dorsal in a groove. Body short and deep, compressed 

 with slender caudal peduncle, anterior profile rounded. Mouth small; 

 upper jaw protractile. Teeth in uniform bands on jaws, A'omer, and 

 palatines. Maxillary moderate, slipping under very narrow preorbital, 

 which, like rest of suborbital ring, is armed with close-set sharp teeth 

 turned backward. Preopercle, opercle, subopercle, interopercle, pos- 

 temporal, armed with similar teeth. Preopercle spine nearly as long as 

 pupil ; 2 spines in opercle. Steel gray, underlaid by bright, coppery red, 



