116 BULLETIN 214, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Scarus erythrinoides Guichenot, Mem. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, vol. 11, p. 10, 



1865 (type locality: San Domingo; two types examined in Mus. Nat. Hist. 



Nat. Paris, standard length 147 and 150 mm.). 

 Scarus oxybrachius Poey, Repertorio . . . , vol. 2, p. 342, 1868 (type locality, 



Havana). 

 Scarus festivus (nomen nudum) Longley, in Longley and Hildebrand, Pap. 



Tortugas Lab. Carnegie Inst. Washington, vol. 34, p. 208, 1941. 

 Sparisoma aurofrenatum Winn and Bardach, Science, vol. 125, pp. 185-186, 1957. 



Mature males are characterized by a white streak from corner of 

 mouth past lower edge of orbit, ending on naked area behind 

 eye; sometimes a white spot or white dash just behind eye; a few 

 very small brown spots on 3rd or 4th scales in scale row below lateral 

 line, below or behind these scales may occur a white spot; tips of 

 outer caudal fin rays blackish or brownish; 1 or 2 canine teeth on 

 upper jaw, near corner of dental plate, develop at standard lengths 

 of 150 mm. or longer; edges of anal and dorsal fins narrowly dusky; at 

 standard length of 130 mm., caudal fin has a lunate white posterior 

 border; dorsal base of pectoral dusky. At about 100 mm. in standard 

 length the silvery opercular spot may disappear and the tips of each 

 caudal fin lobe become darker or blackish, the white lunate-shaped 

 area on caudal fin develops, and the entire base of pectoral fin becomes 

 intense brown. 



Color patterns of the immature and females are characterized by a 

 white saddlelike spot on dorsal edge of caudal peduncle at rear edge 

 of base of dorsal fin. This white spot varies greatly in intensity and 

 may be absent; a sUvery area or spot, which also may be indistinct, 

 occurs on the middle of the opercle; at about 100 mm. and longer in 

 standard length, a row of whitish scales occurs along base of dorsal 

 fin ; a fully mature female at 125 mm. is plain dark brown with scarcely 

 a trace of the white peduncular spot. 



Specimens about 80 mm. and shorter have from upper edge of 

 opercular opening along midsides a broad dark band, the first three 

 or four scales of which are intensely dark brown; just below the dark 

 band is a much narrower whitish streak, in line with which is the 

 silvery opercular spot. 



In both sexes the shoulder area under the opercular apparatus is 

 plain blackish or dark brown, the white gland dorsally sharply con- 

 trasting with the black around it. The usual brown crossbars on 

 underside of head occur much as in other species of Sparisoma. 



In the synomy above, S. aurofrenatum and aS. mineofrenatum repre- 

 sent males, all other scientific names, the females. 



A large series of specimens recently collected by Dr. James Bohlke 

 in the Bahamas, together with experimental evidence obtained in 1956 

 at Bermuda by Dr. Howard Winn and Dr. John E. Bardach, indicates 



