734 CONTRIBUTIOXS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 
membranes nearly separate, free from isthmus; gill-rakers rather long. 
Body covered with small, rough scales, which are not keeled; lateral 
line continuous; scales of breast very small. Dorsal fins dislinct, the 
first of 8 to 10 rather stout spines; anal fin similar to soft dorsal; 
pectoral fin with the three lower anterior rays thickened, entirely free 
from each other and from the fin; ventrals I, 5, wide apart, with a flat 
si)ace between them, the inner rays longest. Pyloric cceca in moderate 
number; air-bladder generally with lateral muscles, and divided into 
two lateral parts; vertebrae 10 or 11 4- 1'"*- Species about 10, repre- 
senting in America the old world genus Trigla. saw; 
back; three free, saw-like spines being said to intervene between the 
two dorsals.) 
a. Mouth siuiill, mandible not reaching vertical from front of orbit; preopercnlar 
spine •without consiiicnons basal cusp; blotches on spinous dorsal well de- 
fined, ocellated; a transverse groove connecting the njiper posterior angles of 
orbit. {Ornichthys* Sw.) 
h. Body very slender; sides with numerous round brownish spots. 
1123. P. imiBactalans (Bloch) Cnv. & Val. 
Dark olive brown, back and sides covered with numerous round 
bronze spots, larger than the pupil ; spinous dorsal dusky, with lighter 
streaks and two black ocellated spots; second dorsal and upper half of 
caudal spotted; anal blackish, with a pinkish border; pectorals black- 
ish, the free rays barred with light and dark; ventrals pale; branchi- 
ostegal membrane pinkish. Pectorals short, reaching only to middle of 
soft dorsal, 2^ in length to base of caudal; first dorsal high. Body 
much slenderer than in any of the other si)ecies. Band of palatine 
teeth very slender, shorter than eye; maxillary one-third length of 
head; preorbital without spines; opercle scaleless ; gill rakers shortish ; 
about 10 below angle. Head 3J; depth 0. D. X-13; A. 12; Lat. 1. 
about 75. ^Yest Indies, north to Xorth Carolina; not rare southward. 
Here described from specimens from North Carolina, ])erhaps belonging 
to a species distinct from the true punctaius, which is described as less 
slender. 
(i Trigla punctata Blocli, Ansi. Fiscli. taf. 352; ?Cnv. & Val. iv, 93; ?Guuther, ii, 
193; Jordan & Gilbeid, Proc. U. S, Nat. Mns. 187S, 373.) 
hb. Body rather robust; sides of body without conspicuous spots. 
1324. P. palmspcs (Mitch.) Storer. 
Brownish above, clouded with darker; throat and branchiostegals 
dark; a distinct black blotch above on membrane between fourth and 
*'Swainson, Class. Fish, etc., 1839, 262: type Trigla punctata Bloch, {opvt?, bird; 
iX^vZ, fish.) 
