f35] 



REVIEW OF THE SCI^NID^E. 377 



spine l\ in base of anal; mouth large, oblique, maxillary reaching beyond middle 

 of orbit, 2 in bead ; preorbital very narrow, about 4 in eye ; gill-rakers long and 

 stiff, 5 -f- 14 ; lower pharyngeals small, with conical teeth ; scales thin, ctenoid ; 

 soft dorsal and anal scaly; scales below lateral line in nearly horizontal series; dorsal 

 spines long and slender, separated from soft dorsal ; the spine of soft dorsal short 

 and stout ; caudal subtruncate, upper lobe longer ; anal short and high, second 

 anal spine 2| in head ; ventrals half way to anal, pectorals 1| in head; color dusky 

 silvery, everywhere soiled with dark points, which form faint streaks along the 

 series of scales ; snout and anterior part of the chin black ; upper part of base of 

 pectoral and axil black. Head 3 to 3J in length ; depth 3J. D. XI or XII-I, 23 ; 

 A. II, 8. Scales 7-49 to 52-10 Dentex,32. 



32. ODONTOSCION DENTEX. 



(CORVLXA.) 



Corvina dentex Cuv. &, Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 130, plate 109, 1830 (San Domingo). 



Storer, Syn. Fish. North Am., 320, 1846 (copied). 

 Larimas dentex Giinther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ii, 269, 1860 (Jamaica, Trinidad). 

 Odontoscion dentex Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, 18 (name'only). Poey, 



Synopsis, 325, 1868 (Cuba) ; Enumeratio, 49, 1875 (Cuba). Jordan, Proc. U. 



S. Nat. Mus., 1886, 44 (Havana). 



Habitat. — West Indian fauna. 



This small species is generally common in the West Indies, where it 

 is a food-fish of some importance. The numerous specimens before us 

 are from Havana, where the species is known to the fishermen as Corvina. 



Genus YIIL— CORVTJLA. 



Corvula Jordan & Eigenmann, genus novum. 



Type : Johnius batabanus Poey. 



We propose the above name for four species of Americau Scirenoids, 

 allied to Bairdiella in nearly all respects, but having the preopercle un- 

 armed as in Larimus. The typical species is remarkable in form and 

 coloration, but it is probably congeneric with the others with which we 

 here associate it. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF CORVULA. 



a. Body rather short and deep; depth 2£ to 3^ in length ; distance from insertion of 

 ventrals to first aual spine about equal to depth of body ; color silvery, usu- 

 ally with faint dusky streaks along the rows of scales. 

 b. [Dorsal rays XI-I, 26 ; posterior dorsal rays much shortert ban the anterior ones ; 

 eye very large, 3£ in head ; dorsal outline strongly convex, somewbat eleva- 

 ted anteriorly ; ventral outline considerably, strongly convex ; snout short, 5 

 in head ; month moderate, somewhat oblique, reaching to below hinder mar- 

 gin of pupil ; tip of premaxillary little above lower margin of orbit ; maxil- 

 lary 2J in head ; teeth in narrow bands, the outer series of the upper jaw en- 

 larged ; longest dorsal spine If in head ; the highest (third or fourth) dorsal 

 ray 2 in head ; base of anal and soft dorsal with a scaly sheath, the mem- 

 branes with minute scales ; second anal spine small, 24 in head ; color brown- 

 ish, paler below ; upper two-thirds of body with dark streaks along the rows 

 of scales; pectoral and especially anal with dark points; base of spinous 

 dorsal light yellow; numerous dark dots on belly, lower part of sides, and 

 under side of head, nead 3 iu length; depth 21; D. XI-I, 26; A. II, 10; 

 scales' 7-50-10. ] (Steindachner. ) Macrops, 33. 



