34 MEMOIRS OF THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM. 



AcANTHocYBiuM Gill (Petos). 



223. Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvicr and Valenciennes). Ono. 



This large fish is now common in the market of Honolulu, being taken with 

 the hook in deej^ water thirty miles or more from the harbor by the Japanese. 

 The flesh is excellent, being too costly to be used for canning. Jordan and Thomp- 

 son have noticed that the Japanese form, Acanthocybium sara, is very distinct from 

 A. solandri. The Cuban Peto, A. pehis Poey, is also different. 



Brown, with narrow faint silvery cross-bars on sides. Teeth 75 60 on each 

 side, compressed, smaller inwards; pectorals a little shorter than maxillary. 



The account of this species, given by Jordan and Evermann, is drawn from 

 a Cuban example of Acanthocyhium petus. The Japanese fish, Acanthocybium sara, 

 called in Japan Okisawara, or "off-shore Satrara," has the teeth much larger, 18/20 

 on either side, the snout blunter, the body less slender. (See Jordan and Metz, 

 Memoirs Carnegie Museum, VI, j). 27.) 



The description copied by Cuvier and Valenciennes from Solander is not 

 distinctive, and no locality^ is assigned to the species. As Solander collected prin- 

 cipally about Tahiti, it is presumable that his species is the i^resent. The huge 

 size of these fishes debars them from collections. 



Family LXIII. GEMPYLID.E (Snake-mackerels). 



RUVETTUS CoCCO. 



224. Ruvettus pacificus sp. nov. Jordan and Jordan. Wn]ii. (J. &: E., p. 177.) 

 Tyi)e: No. 04314, U. S. N. M. 



A single specimen, four and one half feet long, weighing forty i^ounds, was 

 obtained by Jordan and Evermann from Honolulu. This is the only record, so 

 far as we know, from the Pacific. This example we may take as the type of a 

 new species. 



It is well described and figured b>- Jordan and Evermann under the name of 

 Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco, but it differs from the Atlantic species in the number of 

 fin-rays (D. XII, 15, II; A. 16, II, instead of D. XV, 18, II; A. 17-11) and in the 

 deeper body, the depth 1i(>ing 5.4 instead of 6. It has been recorded from Japan. 



Prometichthys CJill. 

 ( Prometheus Lowe, preoccupied.) 



225. Prometichthys prometheus (Cuvier and Valenciennes). (J. & E., p. 178.) 

 Not rare in the open sea, occasionally Ijrought into the markets. Our speci- 

 mens seem identical with others from Japan. The Pacific form, Prometichthys 

 solandri Cuvier and Valenciennes needs comparison with material from the Atlantic. 



