860 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



great inflation. Dorsal and anal fins rather long, falcate, of 12 to 15 

 rays each; caudal lunate. A single nasal tube on each side with two 

 openings near its tip. Jaws each with median suture. Lower side of 

 tail with a fold, {^ayoc, hare; -/.e(J'aXrj, head, from the incisor teeth). 



133S. Li. laevigfatus (Linu.) Gill.— T<imhor ; Smooth Puffer. 



Olive green above, sides and below silvery white. Body elongate, 

 the tail slender. Back and sides smooth; belly prickly, the spinous 

 region oblong, extending from the throat backwards nearly to the vent 

 and on sides nearly as high as base of pectoral fins; spines compara- 

 tively large, three-rooted, well separated and with no smaller ones in- 

 termixed. Eye large, silvery, 2 in snout, 1^ in the flat interorbital 

 space. Gill-opening midway between snout and front of dorsal. Dor- 

 sal and anal fins large and falcate, the last rays rapidly shorteced; 

 height of dorsal If in head; caudal fin lunate, the longest ray IJ in 

 head; fold of skin on sides of tail very distinct, ridge-like. Head 3^. 

 D. 14; depth 4^. A. 12. Tropical seas, north to Cape Cod. 



(Tetrodon Icevigatus L. Syst. Nat. i, 411: Tetrodon IcBvigatus Guuther, viii, 274.) 



481.— TETRODO]\* Linnaeus, 

 (Tetrodon, Leisomus and Cirrhisomus Swainson: Cheilichthys Miiller: Anchisomus Kaup.) 

 (Tetraodon Liuuaius, Syst. Nat.: type Tetraodon testudineus L.) 



Body oblong, usually little elongate; skin variously prickly or smooth, 

 sometimes with cirri. A single nasal tube on each side, with two open- 

 ings near its tip. Dorsal and anal fins short, little falcate, of 6 to 8 rays 

 each; caudal truncate or rounded. Jaws each with median suture. 

 Species numerous, in warm seas, {r^rpa^ four; 68wv^ tooth.) 



a. Tail without fold below. 

 h. Skin almost smooth. 



1329. T. politus Giraid. 



Brown, with very numerous small, round, dark spots above; usually 

 pale curved cross-bars present, in the form of concentric rings, one on 

 middle of back in front of dorsal, inclosing a dark area, another sur- 

 rounding this, the remainder appearing as bars, anteriorly running 

 downward and backward, jiosteriorly downward and forward. Skin 

 smooth; spines rudimentary or obsolete, on belly only, imbedded in 



*The earliest subdivision of the genus Tetrodon seems to be that made by Swainson 

 in 1839. But one Linnujan species {testudineus) is retained in the genus by Swainson. 

 The section to which it belongs contains numerous species, and may well retain the 

 original generic name. The value of the subdivisions is doubtful, but they may be 

 retained for the present at least. 



