SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 165 



Genus PAREXOCCETUS Bleeker. Flying-fishes. 



Small flying-fishes with sides of body rounded, not angular; snout short; 

 lower jaw not projecting; teethon jaws and on vomer, palatines, and pterygoids; 

 dorsal fin elevated; pectorals not reaching beyond middle of dorsal base; ventrals 

 long and placed behind middle of body. (Parexocoetus, near Exocoetus.) 



141. PAREXOCCETUS MESOGASTER (Bloch). 



Flying-fish. 



Exocatus mesogaater Bloch, Ichthyologie, 1795, pi. 399; Martinique. 

 Parexoc(ttus mesogaster, Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 728. 



Diagnosis. — Depth .2 total length; head narrow, its length a little greater than body 

 depth; snout pointed, its length contained a little over 4 times in length of head; eye ..33 length 

 of head and equal to the flat interorbital space; gill-rakers long and numerous; scales in lateral 

 series about 38; dorsal rays 12, the longest longer than head and longer than dorsal base; anal 

 rays 13; length of pectorals .5 to .6 length of body, the tips extending to middle of dorsal fin; 

 ventrals inserted midway between eye and base of caudal, their length more than .2 total length, 

 and their tips extending beyond beginning of anal. Color: blue on upper half of body, silvery 

 below; dorsal white, except upper part of anterior rays, which is black; anal with small black 

 dots; caudal dusky reddish; pectorals and ventrals white, dusky in young, {mesogaster, middle 

 belly, in allusion to position of ventrals.) 



A widely distributed species, known from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian 

 oceans. On the east coast of the United States it has been found as far north as 

 Rhode. Island. Although there are no definite North Carolina records, .lordan 

 and Evermann say "it is the -commonest flying-fi^h of the Carolina region", and 

 it will doubtless eventually be taken in the state. The size is small, probably not 

 exceeding 7 inches. 



Genus EXOCCETUS Linnaeus. Flying-fishes. 



Body quite elongate, with flattened sides; head rather short; snout blunt; 

 pectorals exceedingly long, extending to base of caudal; ventrals short, inserted 

 anteriorly, their tips not reaching as far as dorsal. {Exocvtus, sleeping outside.) 



142. EXOCOETUS VOLITANS Linnaeus. 



Flying-fish. 



ExoccBtus volilans Linnaeus, Systema Natuns, ed. .^,316, 1758. 

 Exoccetus evolans Linnaeus, Systema Naturse, ed. xii, 521, 1766. 



Halocypselus evolans, Jordan & Gilbert, 383, 1879; Beaufort. Jordan, 1886, 26; Beaufort. Jordan <& Ever- 

 mann, 1896, 729. 



Diagnosis. — Greatest depth of body contained 5.3 times in total length; head .23 total 

 length; snout less than eye, contained 4.5 in head; eye large, about .25 length of head; interor- 

 bital region flattened, .33 length of head; gill-rakers long and slender; scales in lateral series 

 about 40; dorsal rays 13, the longest less than half length of head; anal similar to dorsal in 

 size and shape, its rays 13; lower caudal lobe .25 longer than head; pectorals .75 length of body, 

 tips extending to base of caudal; first ray simple, second ray divided, ventrals only half length 

 of head, inserted midway between tip of snout and last anal ray. Color: upper parts olivaceous; 

 dorsal and anal pale, a white streak on anal base; caudal dusky; pectorals dark above, with 

 white lower margins; ventrals white; young with 2 dark cross-bands, (volitans, flying.) 



