324 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [100] 



130. SYMPHURUS ATRICAUDA. 



Aphoristia atricauda Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, 23 (San Diego). 

 Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis Fish. N. A., 1882, 842. Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 380. (San Jose", Lower California.) Jordan, Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., 1886, 54. 

 Habitat. — Lower California, north to San Diego. 

 This species is common in the bay of San Diego, in which locality the 

 numerous specimens before us were taken. A small specimen 1£ inches 

 long, with light spots on the colored side and a pale ocellation on the 

 black of the tail, taken by Mr. L. Belding near Cape San Lucas, prob- 

 ably belongs to the same species. 



JSymphurus atricauda is very close to 8. elongatus, and both might well 

 be regarded as geographical varieties of 8. plagusia. 



131. SYMPHURUS PLAGUSIA. 



(Acedia.) 



Plagusia Brown, Jamaica, 415, No. 1. (Jamaica.) 



Pleuronectes plagusia Blocb & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 1801, 1(52 (after Brown). 



Acliirus ornatus Lac6pede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 659, 1803 (on a specimen " presented by 

 Holland to France ")• 



Plagusia ornata Cuvier, Regne Animal, ed. ii. 



Aphoristia ornata Kaup, Wiegmann's Archiv, 1858, 106. Giinther, iv, 490 (San Do- 

 mingo, Jamaica). Poey, Synopsis, 1868, 409. Poey, Enumeratio, 1875, 140 

 (Havana). Kner, Novara Fische, iii, 292. (D. 90 ; A. 75 ; depth 3£ in length ; 

 Rio Janeiro.) 



Plagusia tessellata Quoy & Gaimard, Voyage Uranie, Zoologie, 240, 1824 (Rio Janeiro). 



Plagusiairasiliensis Agassiz, Spix Pise. Brasil., 1827, p. 89, tab. 50. (Brazil.) 



Aphoristia plagiusa Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1886, 53. (Havana.) (Not& plagiusa 

 of this paper. ) 



Habitat. — West Indian fauna (south to Eio Janeiro). 



The numerous specimens of this species examined by us are from Ha- 

 vana, Pernambuco, Santos, Eio Janeiro, Curuca, and Victoria. 



The synonymy of this species is somewhat doubtful. The original 

 type of Pleuronectes plagiusa was sent to Linnaeus by Dr. Garden, of 

 Charleston. It would therefore appear probable that this specimen 

 represented the species of this genus which is found on the Carolina 

 coast. But this typical specimen is still preserved in the rooms of the 

 LinnaBan Society in London, where it has been examined by Goode 

 and Bean. 



From their notes (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1885, 196) we quote: " The 

 type of this species may have come from Africa or India. There is con- 

 siderable doubt as to its origin. (See Garden's Correspondence with 

 Linn6", page 314.) D. ca 92, A. ca 80. Scales 77. The species is more 

 elongate than our specimens of Aphoristia plagiusa, so called, the depth 

 being contained in the total length without caudal 4$ times and the 

 head 6 times." 



As, however, no species of this genus are yet known from Africa or 

 India, it is rather probable that Garden's fish actually came from 



