1885.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 49 



Vol. Tin, IVo. 4. IVashington, D. €. A^^¥i¥^i9, 1 889. 



3. Halocypselus evolans. 



Exocoetus, pitinis renlralibus hrevissimus, Grouow, Zoopbylac, 358 (Spain). 



Exocatus eroJans, Linnsens,Sy8tema Natura;, xii, 1766, 521 (based on Gronovv) ; 

 Gmelin, Systema Nat., 1789, 1400 (copied); Bloch, Iclithyol., 9, pi. 398. 

 Walbanm, Artedi, Pise, 1792, 49 (copied); liloch & Schneider, Syst. 

 Ichth., 1801, 43, pi. 84; Shaw, General Zoology, v, 1804, 144, f, 117; fur- 

 ton, LinniBus, 1806, 867 (copied) ; Cnvier & Valenciennes, xix, 1846, 138 ; 

 (Mediterranean Sea ; Brittany ; Morbihan ; Newfoundland ; Antilles ; 

 Bahia; Kio Janeiro; Ceylon; Arabia; Cape Verde; New Zealand ; Ne\r 

 Holland, &c.); Giinther, vi, 1866, 282 (Mediterranean; Demerara ; 

 Zanzibar; Seychelles; Java; India; China; Australia); Steindachner, 

 Icthyol. Berichte, 1868, 68 (Taragona); Liitken, Vidensk. Meddel. Nat. 

 Foren, 1876, 395, 102 (many seas) ; Day, Fish. Great Britain, 1883, 126, 

 pi. 129. 



Halocypsehis evolans, Gill, Kept. U. S. Fish Comni., 1872-'3; Jordan & Gil- 

 bert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1878, 283 (Beaufort, N. C. ; no descr.); Jor- 

 dan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish N. A., 1883, 377. 



Exoccetus volitans, Lac6pfede, Hist. Nat. Poias., v, 1798, 401, pi. 12, f. 2 ; Yarrell, 

 Hist. Brit. Fishes, 1836, 398, ed. 2, 433 (British Channel); Bennett, Whal- 

 ing Voyage, ii, 1840, 284. (Not of Linnaius). 



Exocoetiis splendens, Abel, Narr. Voyage China, 1818, 4 (^de Val.). 



f Exoccetus georgianus, Cuv. & Val., 1846, xix, 139 (5° S., 92° W.) ; Gunther, vi, 

 1866,279 (copied); Liitken, Vid. Medd. Nat. Foren, 1876, 394, 101 (west 

 of Sandwich Islands 31° S., 47° E.). (Young examples, with barbel.) 



f Exoccetus monocirrhus, Richardson, Ichth. China, 1846, 265 (China) ; Giinther, 

 vi, 1866,279 (copied). (Young examples, with barbel.) 



Exocoetus cliilensis, Abbott, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, 472 (Chili). 



Exoccetus oMush-ostris, Gunther, vi, 1866, 283 (Cape Verde Islands ; India ; New 

 OrleauB) ; Liitken, Vid. Medd. Naturh. Foren, 1876, 395 (many seas) ; 

 Steindachner, Beitrjige, Kenntniss Fische Afrika's, 1881, 38 (Gaboon). 



Halocypselus oMusirostris, Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish N. A., 1883, 378 (copied). 



Habitat. — Warm seas; cosmopolitan. 



Of all the flying-fishes this species seems to have the widest range, 

 and it is the one most common.ln collections. 



We are unable to distinguish the ohtusirostris of Giinther from evo- 

 lans, the characters assigned to the former by Liitken, as well as those 

 mentioned by Giinther, seeming to come within the range of individual 

 variations. The two forms have the same geographical range, and 

 Liitken remarks that " although in most cases it is easy enough to decide 

 to which species any specimen belongs, yet there are some in which this 

 determination seems to be almost arbitrary ; therefore I am not fully 

 convinced of their specific independence." 



The cMlensis of Abbott is unquestionably evolans. The type is still 

 preserved in the museum of the academy at Philadelphia, where it has 

 been examined by us. The fin rays are D. 14, A. 13, not "D. 10," "A. 

 15," as stated by Dr. Abbott. 



ISToue of the numerous young examples examined by us show any 

 trace of barbels at the chin. It is, however, not impossible that other 

 Proc. N. M. 85 4 



