106 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. .XXXI. 



total leno^th, have been collected. It appears to be present at all sea- 

 sons of the 3'ear. 



We have 2 specimens 12.75 and 13.5 inches in total length, respec- 

 tivel}', from the market at Buenos Aires. The following notes were 

 taken from these examples: Head about 3 in length, without caudal; 

 depth 3.95: eye about 4.53 in head; snout 2.03; D. l-l; A. 12. 



Family TRIGLIDJ^l 



49. PRIONOTUS PUNCTATUS (Bloch). 

 RTJBIO. 



Tr I gla punctata Bloch, Syst. Ichth., 1793, pi. cccliii, Martinique. 



Prionoius punclatus, Jenyns, Zool. Voy. Beagle, Pt. 4, Fish, 1842, p. 28 (Bay of 



Rio de Janeiro). — Berg, Anal. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, IV (2d ser., I), 1890, 



72 (Mar del Plata; Montevideo). 



Berg says that though not numerous in individuals this species 

 occurs frequently in the places mentioned, and that it varies much in 

 coloration, he having seen specimens of a very pronounced ros}^ hue, 

 of a reddish gray, and of a clear plumbeous with more or less distinct 

 black or brownish spots. 



Six specimens in our collection, from the market at Buenos Aires, 

 probably from Montevideo, having first been preserved in formalin 

 and afterwards kept in alcohol, show almost uniforml}'^ the following 

 pattern of coloration: Ground-color on back and sides, dark gray with 

 some indistinct dark spots of various sizes, on some individuals having 

 an appearance of crossbars; spinous dorsal transparent, whitish at 

 base and near spines, sometimes with irregular, faint, dark lines; 

 sometimes with a black margin in the membrane connecting the first 

 5 spines; second dorsal with -i or 5 dark spots on each ray; pectoral 

 dark bluish gray with large black spots along upper 6 ra3\s and white 

 between the spots, lower 7 rays with pale membrane between, bluish 

 black on the rays with here and there thin washes or dashes of white. 



In two specimens we count 95 scales, in the others 100 in longi- 

 tudinal series. The dorsal formula is uniformly X, 12; the anal 10 in 

 one specimen and 11 in all the others. 



Proportional measurements of Prionoius punctatns. 



