356 REVIEW OF SPECIES OF BELONID^. 



exist and these may all be regarded as forming a single species. It is 

 probable also, as Dr. Bean has already noticed, that the Sphyrcena acus, 

 roughly figured by Lac^pede, is the same species. The long snout sepa- 

 rates it from raphidoma, the small eye from T. caribbceus, and the long 

 fins and other characters distinguish it from the other West Indian 

 species. The species should then, without much doubt, be designated 

 as Tylosurns acus. 



The Belone caribb(pa of Le Sueur may be the same, but in the speci- 

 mens in the museum at Paris the eye is very large, larger than in B. 

 Mans and half the postorbital part of the head. These have a similar 

 prolongation of the last rays of the dorsal. The upper jaw in T. carib- 

 bieus is arched at base, somewhat as in T. Mans. In Giinther's descrip- 

 tion of Belone caribbwa, the last rays of the dorsal are said to form a lobe 

 as high as the anterior lobe, while the eye is said to be 2^ times in the 

 postorbital part of the head. 



If Giinther's Belone caribbcea with the elevated posterior dorsal rays 

 be regarded as synonymous with T. acus, there seems to be no reason 

 why the European T. imperialis { — T. cantraini) may not be the same 

 species also. This species is rather rarely taken off the coasts of Sicily, 

 according to the Italian authors. Its descriptions agree fully with 

 those of our acus, excepting in the elevation of the dorsal fin, in which 

 it agrees with Giinther's account of T. caribbceus, and with a young ex- 

 ample of T. acus taken by Dr. Jordan at Beaufort. If this identification 

 be correct, this will be another example of fishes common to Mediter- 

 ranean and West Indian waters {as Mycteroperca seirenga, Sparus pagrus, 

 Mullus surmuletus, etc.). 



Eafinesque's rough figure of his Esox imperialis shows the upper jaw 

 very slightly arched at base. It may be that his fish is our T. caribbwus, 

 if indeed that be not the same as T. acus. In any case, the nomencla- 

 ture of neither species can be regarded as definitely settled. 



We are indebted to Professor Pietro Doderlein for the following notes 

 (here translated from the Italian) in regard to the Italian species known 

 as Tylosurus imperialis: 



"As to Tylosurus imperialis, I will say that I find the figure and de- 

 scription of Lac^p^de [Esox belone, 1, v, pi. 7, p. 308) corresponding 

 closely to the species in question (with the exclusion of a great part of 

 the synonymy). In this it is evident that Lacepede has confused sev- 

 eral different species. I find that this species corresponds in many 

 characters with Belone cxn-ibbcea Le Sueur, Giinther, and the Belone laU- 

 mana Poey, and I presume that these forms represent a single species, 

 as you have already suggested (Syn. Fish. N^. A., pp. 901, 397). As you 

 know, certain small diflerences may always exist among individuals 

 from different waters, and between adults and young. This is here the 

 case. The number of rays in the vertical fins is variable in certain lim- 

 its, the number seemingly increasing with age. The length of the snout 

 is also variable, being a little longer in proportion in the young. But 



