Lythrulon 



to Brazil, its centre of greatest abundance apparently being at Havana, 

 where it is often brought into the market. It has been taken at Garden 

 Key, Florida, but has not been observed at Key West. It reaches a 

 length of only 6 or 8 inches, and is smaller than any other species of 

 this or related genera, except Brachygenys chrysargyreus. 



Colour in life, dusky-gray, with 7 or 8 yellow longitudinal streaks, 

 the one through eye widest; inside of mouth very red; no dusky spot 

 under the angle of preopercle; fins gray, the dorsal scarcely yellowish. 



The third species is the white grunt, B. striatum, which is known 

 from the Bermudas, Key West, Cuba, Santo Domingo, and Porto Rico, 

 but is apparently not common anywhere. One specimen was obtained 

 by us at San Juan, Porto Rico. It probably never exceeds a foot in 

 length. 



Colour in alcohol, pearly gray, with 5 or 6 continuous brownish 

 streaks (probably golden in life), one on median line from tip of snout 

 to origin of dorsal, one diverging from snout and passing above eye 

 and along side to soft dorsal; another from snout through upper 

 part of eye and terminating near beginning of lateral line; a fourth 

 passing through eye and along middle of side to base of caudal ; another 

 crossing opercle and base of pectoral. 



This genus is closely allied to Hcemulon, but differs in the short 

 snout, the high supraoccipital crest, oblique mouth, and increased 

 number of gill-rakers. The form of the body is peculiar, the dorsal and 

 anal long and low and the caudal widely forked. This genus contains 

 but 2 species. The first of these, Lythrulon flaviguttatiim, is distin- 

 guished by having the gill-rakers about 10 + 22 and the body oblong, 

 the depth being about | the length. This species reaches about a foot 

 in length, and inhabits the Pacific coast of tropical America from the 

 Gulf of California to Panama. It is generally common, and valued as 

 a pan-fish. 



Colour in spirits, dark steel-gray, a very distinct small pale spot on 

 each scale of back and side, surrounded by darker; in life these spots 

 are pearly blue; head plain; a small dusky blotch under angle of pre- 

 opercle; fins plain, bright yellow in life. Young with a large black 

 blotch at base of caudal. 



The other species, L. opalescens, is known only from Mazatlan, 

 where it is rather common in the estuary. It is probably not rare, but 



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