Jordan and live rmann. — Fishes of N'orth ^imerica. 1107 



a. Base of caudal vvitli a distinct round l)lackish lilotcli (rarely wanting). 

 6. Base of soft dorsal without Maikish saddle-like lilotih. 



c. Opercle without dark spot; cheeks without evident dark dots; soft dorsal much 



higher than spinous; scales 28 to 30. iMiiKitms, 1499. 



cc. Opercle with a dark spot; cheeks dusted with dark |>oiMts; soft dorsal lialf higher 



than spinous; scales 25. Dovii, LOOO. 



6(>. Base of soft dorsal with a distinct blackish saddle-like liloteli extending downward on 



sides of bod}'; scales 25. UETnoSELi.A, 1501. 



aa. Base of caudal without blackish blotch. 



d. Soft dorsal with a round black blotch below it and a similar one on caudal peduncle 

 above; scales 26. maculatis, 1502. 



M. Soft dorsal and caudal peduncle without round black spots. 



e. Body with few black specks or none; a blackish bar between last rays of soft dorsal 



and anal; another on caudal peduncle. iunotatus, 1503. 



ee. Body covered everywhere with blackish dots, like fly specks; no otlicr distinct 



markings; scales 25. pigmentarius, 1504. 



1499. APOGON IMBERBIS (Linn»us). 

 (King of the Mullets ; Alfoncino; Funcinita.) 



Head 3i; depth 3t. D. VI-I, 9; A. II, 8; scales 28 to 30; vertebne 

 10 + 15. Body ovate, moderately compressed ; eye large ; preopercle 

 finely serrate. Bright scarlet, with minute black specks; fins red, a 

 black blotch at base of caudal on each side, this sometimes wanting; 

 dark shades made of fine dots, usually present on each angle of caudal, 

 tips of second dorsal and anal, and between the eyes. Mediterranean and 

 neighboring waters; once taken at Newport, Rhode Island,* and once 

 recorded from the island of Fernando de Noronha. (imberbin, without 

 beard, a character which distinguishes Apogon from Mullus.) 



Mulhis iniberbis, Linn,teus, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 300, Malta; after Artkdi. 



Apogon niber, LACiipEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., Ill, 411, 1802, Malta. 



Ostorhinclms fleurieu, LAcfipfiDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 165, 1802, Equinoctial Ocean. 



f Diplerochn kexacanihus, Lac^pede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 167, 1802, Equinoctial Ocean. 



f Cenlropomus auraius, Lac^pSde, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 273, 1802, Equinoctial Ocean; this 

 species, and the tv.o preceding, based on notes and drawings of Commerson, representing 

 some species of Apogon with a black bar at base of caudal. 



Centropomus iiibens, Spinola, Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat., x, 1806, 370, plate 28, fig. 2, Mediterra- 

 nean. 



Perca pusilla, De la Roche. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat., xiii, 1809, 318, Nice. 



Dipterodon ruber, Eafinesque, Carattori, 47, 1810, Palermo. 



Apogmi rex-mullorum, CuviER A Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., n, 11:'., 1«28, Marseilles; 

 Nice; Genoa; Ivi9a; Naples; Palermo. 



Apogoyik-hlhyx (imerlcanus, CopE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1870, 120, Newport, Kliode Island ; 

 not of Castelnau. -j- 



Apogon imberbis, GiiNTHER, Cat., i, 230, 1859. 



* Wrongly identified by Cope as Apogon atnericaniis (Castelnau), a Brazilian species, not known 

 to occur north of Bahia. 



•f The following description of the true Apogon omertcanus (Castelnau) is taken from a speci- 

 men from Bahia: Head equal to depth of body, 2J in length, maxillary l-<; in head, eye 2^^. 

 D. VI-I, 8; A. II, 8, scales 2-25-9. Gill rakers slender and long, about 8 4 10 in number. 

 Preopercle very finely serrate above, mostly entire below, except near the angle, when its 

 surface is irregularly notched. Color reil, nn marked, e.vcept for a diffuse dusky blotch made 

 up of dark points on the opercle, and some dark spots on snout and cheeks. No spot at base of 

 caudal, and uo spot or marking anywhere on body or fins, except the dusty blotch ou head. 



