156 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETEN 202 Vol. 3 



two dorsal pterygiophores with a common base are separated by the 

 third neural spine. Aulacocephalus has 10 + 14 vertebrae. 



Rainfordm opercularis McCulloch (Rec. Austrahan Mus., vol. 14, 

 No. 2, p. 120, pi. 16, fig. 3, 1923; type locahty, Middle Island, Edge- 

 cumbe Bay, Queensland) probably belongs to the Grammistinae. 



Volume 1, page 334 



The following genus and species was not included in volume 1 of 

 this report. 



Genus PROMICROPS Poey 



Promicrops Poey, Reportorio . . ., vol. 2, p. 287, 1868 (type species, Serranus 



guaza Poey = Serranus itajara Lichtenstein). 

 Itaiara Vaillant and Bocourt, Mission scientifique Mexique, Poiss, vol. 4, p. 67, 



1878 (type species, Serranus itajara Lichtenstein). 

 Phrynotitan Gill, Standard natural history, vol. 3, p. 255, 1885 (type species, 



Battachus gigas Giinther). 



During 1955, Drs. Robert W. Hiatt and Donald W. Strasburg called 

 to my attention the capture of 3 large sea basses at Eniwetok AtoU. 

 Although counts, measurements, and photographs were furnished of 

 these giant fishes, I was unable to identify them without examining 

 a specimen. Thus, the smallest, weighing 337K pounds, was shipped 

 to the U.S. National Museum where it is now preserved. 



This specimen was identified as Promicrops lanceolatus (Bloch) after 

 much detailed study of small and large specimens and a comparison 

 with specimens of Promicrops itaiara (Lichtenstein) in the Atlantic 

 and eastern Pacific. Promicrops lanceolatus was confused with Epi- 

 nephelus tauvina by Weber and de Beaufort (Fishes of the Indo- 

 Australian Archipelago, vol. 6, p. 62, fig. 7, 1931). Their figure 7 is 

 of a specimen of P. lanceolatus and not E. tauvina. 



The genera Promicrops and Epinephelus may be distinguished by 

 means of the following characters: 



Characters Epinephelus Promicrops 



Interorbital space notably wider than eye diameter — + 



Eye very small in adult, about 3 or 4 times in inter- — + 



orbital space 



Gill-arches covered with numerous chagreenlike plate- — + 



lets 



Dorsal spines shorter than least depth of caudal ped- — -|- 



uncle 



Third or fourth dorsal spines longest -|- — 



Seventh or eighth dorsal spines longest — -j- 



Adults of Promicrops are easily distinguished from those of Epi- 

 nephelus by their small piglike eyes in combination with a broad 

 convex interorbital space and very short dorsal spines. 



