ICHTHYOLOGY OF VENEZUELA — SCHULTZ 195 



parts of body in front of dorsal and anal fins profusely prickly, and 

 scales somewhat imbricated occurring all over body in young, but in 

 adults the body smoother, especially caudal region. 



Sphoeroides maculatus ^^ (Bloch and Schneider) 

 2c. Line of dark bars vertically elongate but hourglass-shaped behind pectoral; 

 black spot in axil of pectoral intensified but not reaching above middle of 

 base of pectoral; upper part of body brownish and overlaid with numerous 

 very small circular-shaped white blotches everywhere; caudal fin plain 

 pale in color; least distance between bases of nasal tubes about 4.5 to 5 

 times in snout; postorbital length of head 1.5 to 1% in snout; body prick- 

 ly anteriorly and covered with small imbricated scales; prickles usually 

 with 4-pointed bases; distal margin of dorsal fin truncate, that of anal 



rounded Sphoeroides nephelus ^^ (Goode and Bean) 



16. Line of dark bars or spots absent, or, if present, not separated from dark 

 ground color of sides and back. 

 3a. Back darkish (often greenish when alive) with pale lines forming a coarsely 

 reticulated pattern and the sides have small dark spots, more numerous 

 with age, but fading ventrally so that the belly is white as usual; caudal 

 fin more or less darkish with a pale bar across the fin a little closer to its 

 base than distally; scales not noticeably developed although anteriorly 

 the body is prickly; least distance between nostrils 2.75 to 3 times in 

 snout; postorbital length of head 1.2 in snout; distal margin of dorsal 



truncate or shghtly rounded Sphoeroides testudineus (Linnaeus) 



3&. No pale lines forming a reticulated color pattern on back, 



4a. Color plain brownish above and largely on sides, with a single large 

 blackish spot, somewhat vertically elongate, on middle of sides a 

 little in advance of dorsal origin; sometimes a pair of dermal cirri on 

 middle of back; brownish color of back with small pale specks or spots; 

 body not covered with small imbricated scales although small glandu- 

 lar-like scales occurring irregularly on body; body prickly anteriorly; 

 caudal fin with a dark bar distally and one basally separated by a 

 pale bar; least distance between bases of nasal tubes about 5 to 6.25 

 times in snout; postorbital length of head about 1.75 to 2 times in 

 snout; distal margin of dorsal fin truncate; that of anal truncate or a 

 trifle rounded; outer rays of caudal fin a little longer than others, so 

 that distal margin of this fin is slightly concave. 



Sphoeroides dorsalis ^s (Longley) 

 46. Body everywhere, except ventrally, with brown spots, these spots not 

 in rows, their number apparently increasing with age; caudal fin usual- 

 ly, except in larger specimens, with a pale bar across middle separat- 

 ing more or less distinct darker bars distally and basally; body every- 

 where covered with numerous very small imbricated scales; least dis- 

 tance between bases of nasal tubes contained 4.5 to 6 times in snout; 

 postorbital length of head 1.25 to li/i in snout; dorsal shghtly rounded 

 to truncate distally, anal fin rounded; dermal cirri usually present on 

 sides Sphoeroides eulepidotus (Metzelaar) 



SPHOEROIDES SPENGLERI (Bloch) 



Tetrodon spengleri Bloch, Ichthyologie, ou Histoire naturelle des poissons, voL 

 4, p. 134, pi. 144, 1797. 



« Not reported from Venezuela and probably not occurring south of Florida. 

 8' Not reported from Venezuela but occurring oft Florida and in West Indies. 



802207—49 14 



