576 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 83 



no. 8284). St. George, Grenada, British West Indies; W. O'Brien 

 Donovan (86590, two specimens including the type). Port-au- 

 Prince, Haiti; C. Bencomo (85958; three large specimens, dried and 

 hence could not be accurately measured, nor the fin rays counted, 

 but the count of the segments included in the above account; form, 

 tubercles, and color typical of the species). Jamaica, West Indies; 

 Albatross; March 1-11, 1884 (92684). Kingston, Jamaica; Albatross, 

 1884 (93732). Bermuda; G. Brown Goode; 1876-77; 1 female, 137 

 mm long (21933). 



Total number of specimens examined, 12; 6 with a brood pouch or 

 at least a rudiment of one, 46 to about 150 mm long (the largest male 

 dried, and exact length cannot be determined); 6 specimens 50 to 137 

 mm long, without any trace of a brood pouch. 



From the material examined it is evident that this species is common 

 in the West Indies and ranges from Panama to Bermuda, but its pre- 

 cise geographical limits remain to be determined. Among all the 

 available specimens from Florida and Cuba not a single reidi was 

 found. Extant records in the literature, of seahorses from the West 

 Indies, no doubt refer partly or wholly to this species, but on account 

 of the failure of previous authors except Kaup to distinguish reidi 

 it is not possible to place such records properly in the synonymy 

 unless the specimens are reexamined. The figure published by Kaup 

 shows the slender body, the low tubercles and coronet, and the char- 

 acteristic color pattern and is readily identifiable as drawn from a 

 specimen of reidi. In view of Kaup's evident failure to distinguish 

 the species of Hippocampus in many cases, it is doubtful whether all 

 his material was referable to the present species; but one of his speci- 

 mens from St. Lucia and one from Martinique for which he describes 

 the color apparently belonged to reidi. These two localities fall 

 within the geographic range represented by specimens examined 

 during my study. 



HIPPOCAMPUS OBTUSUS Ginsburg 



Figure 67 



Hippocampus obtusus Ginsburg, Journ. Washington Acad. Sci., vol. 23, p. 5G2, 

 1933 (off Cape Hatteras, N. C.) 



Diagnosis. — First caudal segment hexangular, last trunk segment 

 octangular, penultimate trunk segment septangular. In other words, 

 first caudal and last trunk segments only bearing an extra plate for 

 the support of the dorsal; or, upper ridges of trunk and tail over- 

 lapping on two segments. Trunk segments 11; caudal segments 35; 

 dorsal rays 17; pectoral rays 16. Every third or fourth tubercle on 

 trunk and anterior part of tail very stout and bluntly obtuse, reduced 

 to stout, knobUke stumps, their appearance very characteristic, 



