1190 Bulletin 4-/, United States National Museum. 



aaa. Scales small, 70 to 80 iu the lateral line. 



6. Caudal forked. Color purple with lighter cloudings; fins colorless, the external caudal 

 ray darker; caudal deeply lunate, the external rays much prolonged, especially 

 those of the upper lobe, wliicli are twice as Ion;; as the middle rays. Depth 2]/^ in 

 length. Scales 9-70-32. gemma, 1581. 



157!). HYPOPLECTIUS LAMPRURUS (Jordan and Gilbert). 



Head 2? ; depth 2i. D. X, 15 ; A. Ill, 8 ; scales 6-60-x, pores 46 ; snout 

 about as long as eye, which is 3i in head, greater than interorbltal width ; 

 Body short and deep ; profile from dorsal to occiput convex, concave 

 above eye; preorbital narrow; maxillary reaching to below middle of 

 eye; lower jaw slightly Included; teeth strong; large teeth in front ^ ; 

 snout and top of head naked; cheeks and opercles scaly; fourth dorsal 

 spine highest, 2^^ in head ; middle caudal rays little shorter than the outer 

 ones ; pectoral reaching anal, a little shorter than head or than ventral ; 

 anal spines strong, the second longer and stronger than third ; teeth of 

 preopercle growing larger downward; angle and lower limb with about 

 9 strong radiating seme, those nearest the angle largest, the others 

 directed more and more forward; opercle with 2 flat spines. Color (of 

 the single specimen known) black with violet luster: faint, pale streaks 

 along the rows of scales on lower parts of body ; caudal fin abruptly 

 translucent yellowish; pectorals colorless ; ventrals black ; tips of dorsal 

 and anal spines and edge of soft rays abruptly whitish. Panama ; known 

 from a single specimen ; well distinguished, from the Atlantic species by 

 the much larger scales ; the single type has almost exactly the coloration 

 of the form called Hypoplectrus chlorurus. We can only guess as to the 

 color variations which it may undergo. (Aa/^Trpof, bright; ovpd, tail.) 



Serranits hmqn-iirns, Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., i, 1881, .322, Panama. (Type, 



No. 29651. Coll. Gilbert.) 

 Hypopleclrus lamprurus, Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1885, 37G; Jordan & Eigenmann, I. c, 



384, 1890. 



1580. IIYPOPLECTRUS UNICOLOK* (Walbauni). 



(VaCA; PETlT-NiCKE.) 



Head 2| to .3; depth 2 to 2i^. D. X, 14 or 15; A. Ill, 8 ; scales 8 to 10-80 

 to 92-30 to 35, pores 52 to 60. Snout longer than eye, which is 'Si to 4 iu 

 head ; lower jaw slightly projecting, with small canines ; maxillary 2 in 

 head, reaching nearly to middle of eye; snout and top of head smooth ; 

 cheeks and opercles scaly ; caudal fin slightly lunate ; fourth dorsal 

 spine highest, 2| in head; pectorals narrow, about reaching second anal 



*We have examined large numbers of specimens of this type in the Museum at Cambridge 

 and elsewhere. The best series seen is that sent from Havana by Poey to the Museum at ( 'aiiibiidge. 

 So far as we can discover, the various nominal species of tliis type are absolutely identical in all 

 respects except in color. Many of them — e. g., puella, indigo, ddontriis — seem at first sight to be 

 certainly different. Nevertheless, each of these forms is subject to wide variations, and from the 

 material which we have seen, we can draw no other conclusion than this: All belong to a single 

 species, which varies excessively in its coloration. Blue, yellow, and black are arranged in great 

 variety of patterns, in different specimens, and the cause of such variation is still unknown. 

 The following localities are represented in the specimens examined by us: pitelhi, Havana, 

 St. Thomas, St. Croix; vitidiiius, Havana; pittnirariits, Havana; mandiferus, Havana; giUtM-ariu^, 

 Havana; chloninm, Havana; nigriaiiis, Florida Keys, Havana, St, Thomas; iudigo, Havana. 

 The other nominal species we Lave not seen. 



