Jordan and Ever ?na fin. — Fishes of North America. 913 



Curwi.i- amblyrhynchm, CuviEE & Valenoiennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., ix, 100, \<\. 248, lb33, Brazil- 



GiiNTiiEii, Cat., II, 411, 1860. 

 Cnraiix falculus, HoLnuooK, Iclitli. South Carolina, 94, 18G0, Charleston. 

 Caranx heleropi/gm, Poey, Memorias, ii, 344, 1861, Cuba. 

 Carangt^ps heieropijgits, Poey, Enumeratio, 77, 1875. 



1306 HEMICARANX ATRIMANL'S (.Jordan & Gilbert). 



Head 4; depth 2:. D. VI-I, 29; A. II-I, 25; scales 60 (all plates). 

 Body regularly elliptical, compressed and mnch elevated, the dorsal and 

 ventral curves about equal, and the greatest depth of body nearly in the 

 middle of length, exclusive of caudal peduncle. Head small, short, and 

 low, its depth rather less than its length, the upper profile descending 

 gently to the sharp snout ; jaws about equal; premaxillaries anteriorly 

 about in the axis of body ; maxillaries narrow, reaching slightly beyond 

 anterior margin of orbit, 3f in head; each jaw with a single regular 

 series of very small, close-set teeth, without larger teeth; no teeth on 

 vomer, palatines, or tongue. Eye moderate, slightly longer than snout, 

 li in iuterorbitai width; occiput with an evident carina. Gill rakers 

 moderate, about 15 on the anterior limb, the longest half the diameter of 

 orbit. Head naked, with the exception of a patch of scales on the tem- 

 poral region. Distance from snout to origin of spinous dorsal less than 

 length of pectorals ; dorsal spines slender and fragile, the highest equal- 

 ing distance from snout to front of pupil; a well-developed antrorse 

 spine before dorsal ; soft dorsal and anal similar, not falcate, the rays 

 regularlj^ deci'easing from the first; highest soft ray of dorsal about half 

 distance from snout to base of pectoral, and somewhat longer than the 

 highest ray of anal ; free anal spines little developed ; dorsal and anal 

 each depressible into a very high sheath of scales, which leaves only the 

 last two or three rays uncovered ; caudal fin wide, well forked, the upper 

 lobe evidently longer and more falcate than the lower, but less produced 

 than in Hemicaranx nmhJiirhyncJius, the longest ray about *• length of rest 

 offish; pectoral fin very long and falcate, reaching opposite to base of 

 seventh ray of anal, about half longer than head; ventrals rather long, 

 reaching beyond vent and slightly more than halfway to front of anal. 

 Breast entirely covered with very fine thin scales ; upper part of sides 

 anteriorly with irregular series of scales which are not well imbricated; 

 lateral line with a strong curve anteriorly (but less arched than in Car- 

 UHX amhlyrhynchus), the height of the curve | of its length, which is a 

 little more than half length of straight portion ; the line becoming 

 abruptly' straight opposite front of anal ; plates of lateral line developed 

 along entire length of straight portion, the plates not large, the height 

 of the largest one not more than half diameter of eye. Color blackish 

 olive above, dusky yellowish below with a silvery luster; top of head, 

 snout, and a large diffuse blotch on upper part of opercle black ; cheeks 

 and lower parts of head thickly dusted with large brown points ; vertical 

 fins dusky, the caudal and anterior rays of anal with much greenish 

 yellow; ventrals largely white ; pectorals dusky olive, the axil and a 

 large black blotch on both sides of the fin at base jet black, the blotch 

 F. N. A. 59 



