136 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 99 



Family SPARIDAE: Pargos 



KEY TO THE GENERA AND SPECIES OF SPARIDAE REPORTED FROM VENEZUELA 



la. Front teeth conical or pointed, not incisorlike. 

 2a. Second interhaemal spine enlarged and hollowed anteriorly; preorbital much 

 wider than eye; head 3.25 to 4; depth 2 to 2.2; dorsal rays XII, 12; anal 

 III, 11; scales 50 to 53; about 6 blunt gill rakers on lower limb of first 



gill arch Calamus calamus (Cuvier) 



26. Second interhaemal spine normal, not swollen and hollow; preorbital as 



wide as or broader than eye in large adults; depth about SYz; head nearly 



4; depth SYz; dorsal rays XII, 11; anal III, 8; scales about 54 to 57; about 



9 blunt gill rankers on lower part of first arch.-Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus) 



lb. Teeth at front of jaws broad incisors. 



3a. A small antrorse spine at origin of dorsal, this spine visible by dissection; 



no black spot on caudal peduncle; sides barred, often disappearing in 



adults. 



4a. Dorsal rays XIII, 11 or 12; anal III, 10 or 11; scales 43 to 48; a black 



blotch on lateral line belov/ origin of dorsal fin; sides with yellowish 



stripes; margin of dorsal blackish; sides of body sometimes with traces 



of dark vertical bars Archosargus unimaculatus (Bloch) 



46. Dorsal rays XII, 12; anal III, 10; scales about 52; no black shoulder spot; 

 7 persistent dark vertical bars; no lengthwise stripes on sides; pelvic 



fins blackish Archosargfus aries (Cuvier) 



36. No antrorse spine at dorsal origin; a large black blotch on caudal peduncle 

 just behind base of last dorsal ray; dorsal rays XII, 14 or 15; anal III, 13; 

 scales about 56 to 60 Diplodus argenteus (Cuvier) 



Genus CALAMUS Swainson 



Calamus Swainson, The natural history and classification of fishes, vol. 2, p. 

 221, 1839. (Genotype, Pagellus calamus Cuvier and Valenciennes= CaZamus 

 megacephalus Shaw.) (Ref. copied.) 



CALAMUS CALAMUS (Cnvier) 



Pes de pluma 



Pagellus calamus Ctjvier, in Cuvier and Valenciennes, Histoire naturelle des 

 poissons, vol. 6, p. 206, pi. 152, 1830 (Martinique; San Domingo). 



Calamus calamus Metzelaar, Report on the fishes collected by Dr. J. Boeke in 

 the Dutch West Indies 1904-1905, p. 86, 1919 (Puerto Cabello, Venezuela). 



Genus PAGRUS Cuvier 



Besxjgo 



Pagrus Cuvier, RSgne animal, ed. 1, vol. 2, p. 272, 1817. (Genotype, Sparus 

 argenteus B\och= Sparus pagrus Linnaeus.) (Ref. copied.) 



PAGRUS PAGBUS (Linnaeus) 



Sparus pagrus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, p. 279, 1758 (southern Europe). 

 Pagrus vulgaris Metzelaar, Report on the fishes collected by Dr. J. Boeke in the 

 Dutch West Indies 1904-1905, p. 87, 1919 (coast of Venezuela). 



