ON A RARE SPECIES OF HALF-BEAK, HEMIRAMPHUS 

 BALAO, FROM CUBA. 



By David Starr Jordan, 

 0/ Stanford University, California. 



In a small collection of fishes sent from Habana, Cuba, by Dr. John 

 Mez is a specimen of a rare and imperfectly known Half -beak, Hemi- 

 raTnpMis halao Le Sueur. 



This specimen may be briefly described as follows: Head (without 

 lower jaw), 4f in length from tip of snout to base of caudal; depth, 

 6f ; eye, 4 in head; snout, 3f ; D. 13; A. 11; scales, 59. 



Bod}'^ moderately robust, compressed. Lower jaw (broken) from 

 tip to tip of upper but probably about 5| in distance from its tip to 

 base of caudal. Ventrals inserted at a point midway between middle 

 of base of caudal and the first third of length of pectoral ; dorsal, and 



HEMIRAMPHUS BALAO. 



anal with some scales ; anal fin about two-third length of dorsal, be- 

 ginning behind it and ending before; last ray of dorsal and anal very 

 slightly produced; dorsal inserted just before vent. Pectoral long, 

 a trifle shorter than head, its length 1-J times depth of body ; ventrals 

 2f in head. Caudal deeply forked, its lower lobe longest, as long 

 as head. 



Color in spirits olivaceous, the sides silvery, without lateral band, 

 base of pectoral dusky, upper lobe of caudal dull bluish, with no 

 trace of orange on dorsal or caudal. 



Specimens examined, 10| inches in length. 



This species is evidently different from the common ^^Escrlhano^^ of 

 the West Indies, Hemirmnphus hrasiliensis (Linnaeus) ; {Hemi- 

 ramphus hrowni and pleei Cuvier and Valenciennes; HeTniramphiis 



Proceedings u. S. National Museum, Vol. 55— No. 2277. 



397 



