364. REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 
I also have others from Cape May and Beesiey’s Point. It 
does not, however, appear to be especially abundant, most of the 
examples having fallen under my notice at odd times. 
Lagocephalus levigatus Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 827.— 
Bean, Bull. U. S. F. Com., VII, 1887, p. 133. 
Genus SPHEROIDES Lacépede. 
The Swell Fishes. 
Spheroides maculatus (Schneider). 
PAR 77e 
Toad Fish. Common Puffer. Swell Fish. Puffer. 
Head 244; depth 33) A: 1; 6; Al. 1, 6; snout 2 in head> “eye 
534; interorbital space 374; first dorsal ray 234; first anal ray 
3%; least depth of caudal peduncle 5%; caudal 21/,); pectoral 
21%. Body about as wide as deep when not inflated. Head 
large, upper profile more convex than lower. Snout long, convex, 
profile straight. Eye elongate, high, a little posterior. Teeth 
large. Lips broad and fleshy. A single short simple nasal tube, 
with 2 rather large openings near its tip, and placed about last 
third in snout. Interorbital space a trifle concave. Gill-opening 
obliquely back, reaching below till opposite middle of base of 
pectoral. Sides of head and body prickly, also back frpm upper 
lip to base of dorsal. Belly prickly from lower lip to vent. 
Prickles all similar, 3-rooted, stiff, small, close-set, largest rather 
posteriorly on back and belly. Dorsal inserted about last fourth 
in length of head and trunk. Anal similar, inserted just before 
base of last dorsal ray. Caudal with convex margin. Pectoral 
broadly convex, reaching one-third of space to anal. Color dark 
olivaceous above, somewhat marbled and dotted with black. 
Length 10 inches. Beesley’s Point. 
Common along the coast, reaching a length of 10 inches. My 
examples from Cape May, Anglesea, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle 
City and Atlantic City. At Stone Harbor they have been found 
exceedingly abundant in the fall by Mr. David McCadden. 
