176 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



DESCRIPTIOXS OF TWO KEW SPECIES OF FISHES, I-CTJANUS BLACK- 

 FORDII AND LiUTJANUS STEARKSII, FROM THE COAST OF FLORIDA. 



By O. BROlf'lV OOOI>£ and TARLETOIV H. BEAN. 



Recent explorations on tbe coast of Florida have brought to light 

 several undescribed species of large fishes. Some of them have already 

 been named by us. Two species of Pristipomatoid fishes are character- 

 ized below. 



Lutjanus Blackfordii, sp. ?!oi'.,Goode & Bean. 



The well-known Eed Snapper of our Southern coast has, strangely 

 enough, never been scientifically described. This is due to an errone- 

 ous identification of this species with a common West Indian form, 

 Liifjamis aya, from which it differs in several particulars, notably in the 

 size of the eye and of the scales. 



The species is dedicated to Mr. Eugene G. Blackford of New York 

 City, to whom the National Museum is indebted for many hundreds of 

 specimens of rare fishes, and by whose vigilant study of the New York 

 fish-markets several species have been added to the fauna of the United 

 States. 



We base our description upon a fresh specimen (No. 21,330), sent from 

 Pensacola, Fla., May — , 1878, by Mr. Silas Stearns, which is twenty-six 

 inches long, and weighs 11^ pounds; also two well-executed casts, one, 

 No. 12,515, obtained by Mr. Milner, in Washington City market, 1874, 

 thirty inches long, and one. No. 20,978, thirty-three inches long, ob- 

 tained from the Savannah Bank, March, 1878, by Mr. Goode. 



Diagnosis. — Body much compressed ; its upper profile ascending from 

 the snout, with a slight concavity in front of eye to the origin of the 

 spinous dorsal, thence descending in a long curve to the base of the 

 caudal; under profile much less arched. Upper and lower jaw of even 

 extent. The greatest height of the body equal to length of head. Least 

 height of tail equal to one-third of the distance from the snout to the 

 pectoral. Greatest height of head slightly less than one-third of total 

 length, including caudal and three-eighths of length without caudal. 

 Prseoperculum finely and evenly serrated, except at the angle, where the 

 denticulations are coarser: a slight emargination above the angle, in 

 which is received an elevation upon the interopercular bone, and two 

 shallower emargiuations above. The maxillary falls short of the verti- 

 cal line from the anterior margin of the orbit, the mandibular bone of 

 that from the middle of the orbit. Eye circular; its diameter contained 

 seven and one-third times in the total length of the head. Length of 

 snout nearly equal to that of maxillary. Length of mandible equal to 

 half the height of the body at ventrals, and equal to or slightly less 

 than distance from snout to centre of orbit. Distance of dorsal from 

 snout about three times the length of snout ; its length of base nearly 

 equal to that of the pectoral. The length of its longest spine is equal 



