428 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [86] 



brina nasus has convinced Br. Jordan that this is a different species. 

 We here describe in detail the typical specimen under the name of 

 Menticirrhus simus. 



Menticirrhus simus sp. uov. Type No. 28292, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



Depth 4 in length (5 in total) ; head 3£ (4£). D. X-I, 22 ; A. I, 8 ; 

 scales 6-52-10. 



Body robust ; back somewhat compressed and regularly arched ; 

 depth about uniform between the first dorsal spine and the first soft 

 ray ; caudal peduncle rather heavy ; distance from last dorsal ray to be- 

 ginning of middle caudal ray slightly more than 2 in head. 



Head subcorneal ; profile steep, slightly depressed over the posterior 

 part of eyes ; snout abruptly blunted, turned up anteriorly, suggest- 

 ing the form of snout in the genus Heterodon; five large incision's in the 

 upper lip, three large oval and three small round pores above them, 

 as in other species of Menticirrhus ; snout 3h in head ; eye 5| in head ; 

 mouth horizontal, inferior, the snout extending ^ of its length beyond 

 the premaxillary ; maxillary extending past middle of eye, slightly 

 more than 3 in head. 



Teeth in lower jaw villiform in rather broad bands ; upper jaw with 

 a band of small teeth and an outer series of enlarged ones ; largest teeth 

 of the outer series slightly longer than the anterior nostril ; preopercle 

 with fine widely placed teeth on its membranous border ; gill-rakers ob- 

 solete j pseudobranchia?. very large; lower'pharyugeal teeth villiform, 

 those of the inner series much enlarged ; first dorsal beginning behind 

 . base of pectoral ; the first spine minute ; the second spine highest, 

 reaching to third dorsal ray, li in head ; posterior margin of spinous 

 dorsal deeply concave ; dorsal soft rays low, subequal ; caudal un- 

 equally lunate, the upper lobe much the longer, li in head ; anal in- 

 serted under fifth dorsal ray ; its spine weak, 5 in head; the anterior 

 anal rays much the longer, but not*extending to tip of last rays ; ventrals 

 If in pectorals ; pectorals 1± in head. 



Scales'large; all strongly ctenoid ; those in the lateral line and those 

 above it more or less covered with smaller ones. Soft dorsal, with a 

 very narrow scaly sheath. Bases of pectorals and caudal densely scaly, 

 the rest of the fins naked. Color, grayish above, lighter below ; lower 

 parts of sides with numerous dark points; faint lines following the rows 

 of scales above; spinous dorsal dusky, anal with dark specks; axil and 

 inner margin of pectoral dusky; other fins plain ; lining of gill cavity 

 dusky. 



This species differs from Menticirrhus nasus (Giinther) in the size of 

 the eye, the size of the teeth, and the size and shape of the snout. Dr. 

 Jordan has examined the type of M . nasus and verified the description 

 of Giinther. The large size of the eye in M. nasus is not due to the im- 

 maturity of the typical example. 



