88. SPAEID^ — PIMELEPTERUS. 
561 
obtusely lanceolate incisors, implanted with compressed nsnally conspic- 
uous roots i)osteriorly ; behind these a narrow band of villiform teeth : fine 
teeth on vomer, j)alatines, and tongue. Branchiostegals 7 ; gill-rakers 
long. Preopercle obsoletely serrate; preorbital narrow, covering but 
little of the maxillary. Squamation very complete, the space between 
and about the eyes being the only naked part ; scales smallish, thick, 
ctenoid, 60-70 in the lateral iiue, which is continuous; similar scales 
entirely covering the soft parts of the vertical fins, and extending up 
on the paired fins. Dorsal fiu low, with about 11 spines, wliich are deprc s- 
sible in a groove of scales; the fin continuous, but the last spines 
low, so that a depression occurs between the two parts of the fiu ; the 
bases of the spinous and soft parts about equal; anal similar to soft 
dorsal, with 3 spines; caudal fin forked; pectoral fins small ; ventrals 
well behind them. Intestinal canal long. Pyloric cceca usually very 
numerous. Species numerous, in all warm seas. Herbivorous. 
fat; TTzepov, fin.) 
a. Soft dorsal and anal not elevated, the latter rather short. {Pimelepterm.) 
8§7. P. bosci Lac. 
Dusky, with series of light stripes, about 25 in number, following the 
rows of scales ; the middle part of each scale pale, the edge dusky ;, 
the stripes along middle of body much broader than the others, the 
scales along the back and belly being much smaller; a silvery streak 
along the preorbital. Body ovate, somewhat compressed. Longest dor- 
sal spine one-fifth the height of the body, rather higher than the soft 
dorsal and nearly equal to the longest ray of the anal. Horizontal pro- 
cess of the teeth not much longer than the vertical. Interorbital space ^ 
2.J in head ; top and sides of head finely scaled ; interorbital region 
gibbous, below which point the snout is truncate ; preopercle weakly 
serrulate ; gill-rakers long. Soft dorsal and anal very low ; median dorsal 
spines highest; second anal spine highest ; caudal well forked, the lower 
lobe longest. Head4i; depth 2^. D. XII, 12; A. 111,11; scales 10- 
66-20; vertebrae 9 + 16, Massachusetts to Panama;^ common southward. 
(? Perea sectatrix L. Syst. Nat. : Pimelepterus hosci Lac^pfede, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv, 429, 
1802: P. hosci Cuv. & Val. vii, 258: P. hosci Guntlier, i, 497 : Pimelejyterus flavolineatus 
Poey, Eepert. i, 319; Poey, Synopsis Pise. Cubens. 324,. 1^®-) 
Bull. Xat. Mus. Xo. 16 36 
