Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2319 



a. Abdomen with 4 longitudinal series of pores, each of which is accompanied hy a 

 shining silvery body; 4 rows of shining spots on sides of body; a white blotch 

 below eye, with a black crescent below it. 



6. Teeth on palatines few (4 or 5), 1 to 3 of them developed as very strong canines, 

 as large as canines on vomer; dorsal fin with distinct black blotches; back 

 with dark saddles; third lateral line extending nearly to base of caudal. 



POROSISSIMUS, 2653. 



bb. Teeth on palatines numerous, none of them canine, and all much smaller than 



canines on vomer. 



c. Third lateral line ceasing at second third of anal ; cross bands on back and 



dorsal fin very faint or wanting; dorsal fin with a faint dark edge; 



sides of head and shoulder without distinct spots; body rather 



elongate. NOTATUS, 2654. 



cc. Third lateral line extending nearly to end of anal; cross bands on back 



and dorsal fin very distinct, appearing as roundish blotches, those on 



the dorsal fin along the margin ; sides of head and humeral region 



much spotted with brown ; body robust. MAKGARITATUS, 2655. 



2653. PORICHTHYS POROSISSIMUS (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 

 (BAGRE SAPO.) 



Head 3| (4J in total) ; depth 5f (6). D. 11-37 ; A. 34. Body rather elon- 

 gate, tapering and compressed behind. Head depressed, f as broad as 

 long and $ wider than deep; lower jaw considerably projecting, max- 

 illary reaching to well behind eye, its length If in head. Teeth in single 

 series on jaws, vomer, and palatines, those of upper jaw very small, a few 

 of the anterior and 2 or 3 of the lateral teeth somewhat enlarged, the lat- 

 ter strongly hooked forward; teeth in lower jaw strong, rather weaker 

 than in P. margaritatus, those in the front of the jaw hooked strongly 

 inward; the lateral teeth, which are larger, hooked backward and 

 inward; 1 or 2 strong canines on each side of vomer, these curved back- 

 ward and outward; teeth on palatines distant, few in number (usually 4 

 or 5) ; among these are 1 to 3 very strong canines (usually, but not always, 

 much larger than canines on vomer), strongly curved forward and inward. 

 In P. margaritatus and P. notatus, the palatine teeth are not especially 

 enlarged, subequal and more numerous, the canines on the vomer being 

 much larger than any of the other teeth. Gill openings extending from 

 the upper edge of pectoral to just below lower edge. Pectoral without 

 axilliary foramen; height of soft dorsal about 3 in head; length of 

 caudal nearly 2; height of anal 3; length of pectorals If; of ven- 

 trals, 2|. Color in life, light brown above, the top of head much darker 

 and clouded with dark brown ; a row of about 10 bar-like dark blotches 

 along middle of side, each larger than eye, those anteriorly deeper than 

 long, the others longer than deep; each of these blotches usually more 

 or less confluent with a saddle-like dark blotch across the back; a 

 crescent-shaped pale translucent area below the eye ; below this a larger 

 blue-black area, irregularly crescent-shaped, covering the preorbital and 

 suborbital region, bounded below and behind by a row of shining mucous 

 pores; on it are about 4 large pores, and above and behind it, close 

 behind and below eye, is a large shining pore bordered with black; 

 cheek steel bluish ; sides of body silvery, becoming golden below ; lower 



