112 BULLETIN 214, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



edge of orbit, ending on naked area just behind eye; sometimes a 

 white dash or spot occurs behind middle of eye; males; figure 29. 

 (West Atlantic, Bermuda.) 



aurofrenatum (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 

 36. Color not as above. 



4a. A white saddlelike spot on dorsal part of caudal peduncle just behind 

 rear edge of dorsal fin base; base of pectoral fin brown; no brown 

 shoulder spots; tips of caudal fin lobes pale, not dark colored; 

 opercle with white (silvery) area; membranes just behind tips of 

 dorsal spines without cirri, tip of dorsal spine ends in a cirrus; 

 anterior nasal flap with a few cirri in adults; females, usually 

 known as distinctum (Poey) ; figure 30. (West Atlantic, Ber- 

 muda.) aurofrenatum (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



4b. Color not as above. 



5a. Dorsal profile of head stronglj^ rounded; interorbital space convex, 

 anterior nasal tentacle very short, distally with multifid cirri 

 that reach to or almost reach posterior nostril; membranes just 

 behind tips of dorsal spines with multifid cirri, except on large 

 adults of S. axillaris. 

 6a. Dorsal edge of pectoral base with a distinct dark brown saddle- 

 like spot; pectoral fin brownish, except distal }i, which is 

 pale or whitish; on large adults suture in upper dental plate 



Figure 30. — Sparisoma aureofrenatum {<= distinctum) , female. (Sketch by author.) 



with from a few to several short, interlocking, very small 

 canine teeth externally, several other small caninelike 

 teeth may project from sides of dental plates of upper jaw; 

 distal edge of forked caudal fin with a lunate whitish mark, 

 in large adults; plate 23, a. (West Atlantic, Bermuda.) 



axillaris ( Stein dachner) 



66. No dark saddlelike spot on dorsal edge of pectoral base; pectoral 



base and pectoral fin plain in color or pale throughout its 



length; canine teeth, if present, not arranged as in S. axillaris; 



plate 23c, D. (East and West Atlantic.) 



rubripinnis (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 

 56. Interorbital space slightly concave, flattish to a little convex (more 

 so in young) ; membranes just behind tips of dorsal spines usu- 

 ally without a cirrus, rarely 1 or 2 very small ones, usually tip 

 of each dorsal spine ends in a simple cirrus. 

 7a. Dorsal edge of pectoral base with a saddlelike black or brown spot 

 evident on specimens as short as 40 mm.; dorsal profile of 

 head almost straight over orbits; the short anterior nasal 



