396 Axnals of the Carnegie Museum. 



23—24- 



Scutes — ' humeral shields not in contact, separated by 

 23-21 



one scute from base of pelvic fin. Brownish above, yellowish 



below; a broad dark lateral band tapering backwards. 



Fins dusky (Regan) macrosteas Regan. 25. 



cc. Sides of the body without a longitudinal stripe. 



e. Body without small spots, with or without a large dark blotch 



under the dorsal. 



/. Dorsal spine weak, slightly decurved, very little longer than 



the snout; 2 or more in the head. Depth 2.8 to 4; head 



3.6, eye 2 in the snout, 2-2.5 m the interorbital, 4.5 to 4.75 



in the head. Base of the dorsal shorter than the distance 



between the dorsal and adipose. Four or five azygous 



plates. Dark above, light below; usually the first seven or 



eight scutes are dark, forming a large blotch under the dorsal ; 



opercle, humeral, and nuchal plates iridescent blue. D. I, 



22 



7; A. I, 6; lateral plates — ceneus (Gill). 26. 



20 



ff. Dorsal spine straight and well developed; longer than the 

 snout plus the diameter of the eye; 1.2 in the head. Depth 

 3 to 2.5; eye 1.5 to 2 in the interorbital. 



virescens Ribeiro. 27. 

 ee. A row of small blackish, often bluish, iridescent spots down either 

 side of the lateral line, upper scutes with small scattered more 

 or less rectangular spots. Dorsal spine very strong, equal to 

 the depth, 2.3 to 2.8 in the length. Pectoral spine not so long. 

 Eye large, 1.5 in the snout, 1.75 in the interorbital and 3-3.25 

 in the head. Base of the dorsal equal to the distance between 

 the dorsal and adipose. Caudal peduncle rather sharply 

 constricted. D. I. 7; A. I, 6; P. I, 7-8; V. 6; four to five azygous 



plates armaius (Gunther). 28. 



eee. Longitudinal series of small dark spots on sides of body and on 

 rays of dorsal fin; other fins immaculate. Head 3.25-3.5; 

 depth 2.33-2.5; snout strongly decurved, a little longer than 

 diameter of eye ; eye 3 in head , 1 . 5 in interorbital ; suborbital nar- 

 row; barbel nearly reaching gill-opening. D. I, 7; spine nearly 

 as long as head, soft rays decreasing from first, which is as 

 long or a little longer than spine; two azygous plates in front of 

 adipose; A. I, 6; pectoral spine as long as head, extending to 



21—22 

 middle of ventrals. Plates (Regan). 



19-20 



polysticlns Regan. 29. 



aa. Caudal with vertical cross-bars. 



g. Sides without dark markings, or with a dark stripe or a few large spots 



along the middle of the upper series of scutes. One to three or 



four large spots lying across the lateral line in two species and a 



single spot below the lateral line in another. Anal unmarked. 



Head plain. 



