144 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The remaining species of this type, mclanoj)s, simulans, and Jlavidns, 

 differ in the absence of any distinct spines on the cranium, as well as in 

 color, form, and other pecnliarities. Melanops has the preocular ridge 

 considerably developed, and occasionally ending in a spine. The others 

 have this ridge obsolete. The mouth in simulans and flavidus is consid- 

 erably larger than in the other species. In melanop/s and simulans the 

 tins are slaty black, like the body. In flavidus they are olivaceous, the 

 caudal being distinctly brownish yellow (hence the popular name of 

 Yellow-tail). The peritoneum in fiavidns is pure white, in melanops 

 somewhat dusky. 



Sebastichthys rhodochloris sp. nov. 

 Allied to S. rosaceus (Girard). 



Body oblong, more elongate than in rosaceus, the back less elevated, 

 the profile less steep. Mouth comparatively large, but rather smaller 

 than in rosaceus, the maxillary not reaching beyond posterior border of 

 l^upil. Jaws about equal in the closed mouth, the lower with a small 

 symphyseal prominence. Preorbital narrow, with two bluntish i)rojec- 

 tions. Eye very large, longer than the long snout, 3J in head. 



Spinous ridges on top of head very high, slender, and sharp, more 

 elevated than in rosaceus, chlorostictus, and constellatus, and sharper. 

 N'asal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, and occipital spines 

 present, as in most of the red species. Supraocular ridge long and prom- 

 iuent. Postocular and tympanic s^jines close behind it, sharp and 

 large. Interorhital space very narrow, its width even posteriorly less 

 than length of supraocular spine (in rosaceus considerably more). Inter- 

 orbital. space with two longitudinal ridges, sharp and conspicuous, not 

 covered by the scales, the very narrow interspace between them strongly 

 concave, the spinous ridges strongly divergent behind. 



Preopercular spines sharp, directed backward, the three upper long 

 and i^ointed, more developed than in rosaceus, less radiating than in 

 chlorostictus. Two sharp suprascapular spines. Opercular spines short 

 and sharp. 



Gill-rakers about as in rosaceus and clilorostictus, moderately long and 

 slender, much shorter than in cvalis or pinniger, but longer than in 

 nebulosus and ruber, the longest gill-raker about one-fourth the diame- 

 ter of the eye. 



Dorsal fin still lower than in rosaceus, the membranes little emargin- 

 ate, the longest spine about 2§ in head (in rosaceus 2^). Emargination 

 of dorsal moderate. Soft rays low, the highest about equal to the 

 highest spine. Caudal fin slightly emarginate. 



Second anal spine proportionately longer than in any other of our 

 species, very strong, curved, its length about equal to that of the max- 

 illary or the base of the soft dorsal, or about half the length of the 

 head. It is higher than the soft rays of the anal. Pectoral fins reach- 

 ing past tips of the ventrals nearly to the anal. 



D. XIII, 14; A. Ill, 6. 



