A PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE PISHES OF THE WEST INDIES 



Rv DAVID $!>TARR JORDAN. 



In this list I have eudeavored to represent the present condition of our 

 knowledge of the fish-fauna of the West Indies. I have included in it 

 all species which have been accredited by good authority to the waters 

 of the West Indies proper and the Bermudas, as well as to the Atlantic 

 coasts of Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, and Guiana. I have ex- 

 cluded from it all species which have not yet been found farther south 

 than the Florida Keys and the " Snapi)er Banks " of the Gulf, as well as 

 all those as yet known only from Brazil, although, as a matter of course, 

 many of each of these categories will be found to be genuine members of 

 the West Indian fauna, the "Snapper Bank" fauna especially being en- 

 tirely West Indian in its general character. In most of the families 

 an attempt has been made to exclude purely nominal species, but in 

 some groups {Siluridce^ Syngnathidrc, Murwnida', etc.), in which no criti- 

 cal studies have yet been made, this has been impossible. 



Throughout the list reference has been made to Giintliers Catalogue 

 of the Fishes of the British JNIuseum, and in case of species described 

 under one name or another in the writings of Professor Poey, this fact 

 is indicated by the letter P. 



It should be clearly understood that this is simply a i)reliminary list, 

 which must needs be greatly modified when the species of the different 

 groujjs receive thorough study. It is ])robable that comparatively few 

 of the larger shore-fishes are to be added to the list, but of the smaller 

 fishes, and especially of those found in deep water, it is not unlikely 

 that the majority are still undescribed. 



This list may be compared with a similar list of the species described 

 from the Pacific Coast of Tropical America^ published by me in these 

 Proceedings for 1885, pp. 361-394, 



In matters of nomenclature, I have endeavored to follow exactly the 

 rules laid down in the code recently published by the American Orni- 

 thologists' Union, with the exception of Canons XVII and XVIII, both 

 of which I repudiate, as likely to be productive only of confusion. 



Family I.— BRANCHIOSTOMID^. 



1. BRANCHIOSTOMA Costa. 



1. Brauchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallaa). (G. viii, 'tl'.',.) 



{Branchiost&ma eariba-um Siindevall : possibly a valid species.) 



Family II.— HEXANCHIDiE. 



2. HEXANCHUS Raliuf'sipie. 



2, Hexanchtis griseus (C^inelin). ((J. viii, :\'M. P.) 



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