4. PEISTIPOMA. 287 



with long and strong spines. Caudalis emarginate ; the second anal 

 spine very strong, and much longer than the third. Coloration 

 uniform. 



Atlantic coasts of Tropical America. 



a. Adult : skin. '^'West Indies. Purchased of Mr. Scrivener. 



This species ib said to have no groove below the chin, and has been 

 placeli' in Diagramma by Cuvier, but it is closely allied to the fol- 

 lowing species. 



2. Pristipoma serrnla. 

 Cuv. Sf Val. V. p. 272 j Ramon de la Sagra, Hist. Cuba, Poiss. p. 70. 



13 • 9* 



The height of the body is one-third of the total length ; the snout 

 short, not longer than the width of the eye. Dorsal fin very deeply 

 notched, with feeble spines ; the second and third anal spines equal 

 in length. Back with four or five yellow longitudinal lines. (Cuv.) 



Martinique. 



Pristipoma auratum, Cuv. & Val. I. c, with uniform coloration, may 

 b6 only a variety of the above species. 



3. Pristipoma melanoptemin. 



Pristipoma melanopterum, Cuv. 8f Val. v. p. 273. 



? Pristipoma bilineatum, Cuv. 8f Val. v. p. 271. pi. 122. 



I^-TTnfer- ^-h I^-lat.50. L. transv. 9/14. 



The height of the body is 2| in the total length, the length of the 

 head 3f . The snout is obtuse, rather shorter than the diameter of 

 the eye, which is one-third of the length of the head. The cleft of 

 the mouth is narrow, the upper maxiUary reaching to the vertical from 

 the front margin of the eye. Praeoperculum with the posterior limb 

 very shghtlj emarginate, and with rather, stronger denticulations at 

 the angle. The dorsal fin deeply notched, with strong spines ; the 

 third longest, one-half the length of the head. Caudalis emarginate ; 

 the second anal spiae exceedingly strong, and much longer than the 

 third of the dorsal fin. Vertical fins scaly on one-half their height. 

 On each side two parallel brown bands, one above the lateral line, 

 the other from the eye to a round spot at the root of the caudal ; 

 the fins blackish. Coloration in old age uniform, with blackish fins. 



Coasts of Tropical America. 



a. Fine specimen. Rio Janei^-o. Presented by A. Fry, Esq. 

 6. Adult : skin. Jamaica. From Dr. Pam ell's Collection. 



I should without any hesitation consider P. bilineatum as the 

 younger state of P. melanopterum, if Cuvier had not stated fifteen soft 

 rays in the dorsal fin of the former. On the other hand, specimen a, 

 which is not full-grown, has seventeen rays, and the exact coloration 

 given by Cuvier of P. bilineatum. 



