Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 879 



which equals twice length of snout ; it is highest in middle. Ninth and 

 thirteenth spines slightly longer than third spine and more than twice 

 as long as twentieth, their length equaling \ that of snout. Soft dorsal 

 highest anteriorly, its longest ray, the lifth, being nearly twice least 

 height of tail. Caudal forked, its middle rays about \ as long as 

 external rays. Anal origin under the third ray of soft dorsal, its dis- 

 tance from vent 2\ times length of dagger-shaped spine. Vent directly 

 under end of spinous dorsal. Anal rays longest anteriorly, the fifth ray 

 being nearly as long as corresponding ray of soft dorsal. The dagger- 

 shaped spine in front of anal \ least height of tail ; ventral immediately 

 under third spine of dorsal ; its first and longest ray f interorbital width ; 

 fifth ray about f as long as first ; pectoral beginning under second dorsal 

 spine, its length 21 times width of interorbital area, extending to verti- 

 cal midway between fifth and sixth dorsal spines. Lateral line well 

 developed, descending gi-adually from upper angle of gill opening, 

 reaching median line of body under soft dorsal. Scales irregular in 

 shape, thin, elongate, cycloid, and deciduous. Purplish ; the spinous 

 dorsal, pectorals, ventrals, and inside of mouth blackish. Known from 

 one specimen caught by Captain Thomas Thompson, on Le Have Bank, 

 south of Newfoundland, in 125 fathoms. (Bean.) {violacea, violet- 

 colored.) 

 Thi/rxilops violacetis, Bean', Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1887, 513, Le Have Bank. (Tj-pe, No. 



" 39287. Coll. W. A. Wilcox); Goode & Bean, Oceanic Ichth., 105, 1895. 

 TJiyrsUes niger, Poey, Enumeratio, 74, 1875. 



397. RUVETTUS, Cocco. 



(ESCOLARES.^ 



Ruvettun, Cocco, Giorn. Sci. Sicilia., XLii, 2, 1829, {iirefioms). 



Apliirns, Lowe, Trans. Zoiil. Soc. Loud., ii, 180, 1841 {simplex). 



Acanlhoderma, Cantraine, Journ. Ac. Sci. Belles-Lettrcs BruxoUes, x, 1835, ( lemmiiiki). 



Body fusiform, moderately elongate, the skin covered with bony tuber- 

 cles remote from each other and obliquely placed. Mouth large, with 

 strong teeth, some of the anterior in each jaw canine-like. Lateral line 

 obscure, little developed. Abdomen keeled. Tail not keeled. Dorsals 

 near together, well differentiated ; dorsal and anal each with 2 finlets. 

 Ventral rays I, 5. Color black. One species. A large, deep-water tish, 

 generallj' valued as food in the tropics. {lioveto or liuvetto, Italian name 

 of Buvettus pretiosiis.) 



1268. RUVETTUS PRETIOSUS, Cocco. 

 (Escolab; Kovetto; Kuvetto; CuicoLAn; Oil Fish; Scoi'u Fish; Plain-tail.) 



Head 4 ; depth 6 ; eye large, 5. D. XV-18-II ; A. 17-11 ; V. 1, 5 ; C. 9 -f 8; 

 vertebra? 16 + 16=32. Coeca 11 to 14. Body oblong, compressed, not greatly 



* Another fish of this group, apparently allied to Escolar lias hocn mentiont'd sis Tlii/rsiUs nigiT, 



POEY. 



Known only from a fragment of tlie tail of a specimen weighing about 100 pounds. Caudal 

 peduncle with a distinct kocl. Scales thin, smooth, and roundish, not spinous. Color ovory- 

 whero intense black. Last rays of dorsal apparently detached. Flesh white, oX(iuisito in 

 flavor, as in Unretlius 2J''cti»i'<tK- Havana. (Poty.) Thrown on shore by a storm. This is proba- 

 bly not a ThyrsUes, nor a Bipinnula, as the caudal peduncle Las uo keel in either genus, (mgi-r, 

 black.) 



