Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2397 



2748. RUPISCARTES ATLANTICUS (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



Head 4 to 4|; deptli 3| to 3f . D. XII, 21 or XIII, 20; A. 24 or 25 ; verte- 

 brae 12 + 22 = 34; eye 4 to 4.i in head. Body rather high, compressed. 

 Head short, very blunt, its width about 2 in the length; anterior profile 

 from first dorsal spine to above eye straight or slightly convex ; from thence 

 to tip of snout abruptly decurved, in some specimens nearly vertical. 

 Mouth inferior, lower jaw included; maxillary about reaching posterior 

 border of eye. Teeth small, pectinate, the lower canines exceedingly large 

 and entering the cavity in the palate. Supraorbital tentacle well devel- 

 oped, slender; a group of 5 or 6 short tentacles on either side of head in 

 front of nostrils and on either side of neck, these shorter than pupil. Dor- 

 sal fin not emarginate, extending from a point above middle of operculum 

 to base of caudal ; anal lower than soft dorsal, 1 to 2 in dorsal ; pectorals 

 reaching past vent, about equaling head ; ventrals about 2 in head. " The 

 intestinal tract is more than 3 times as long as the entire body. The struc- 

 ture of the skeleton is very similar to that of the Blennies ; the jaw bones, 

 however, are still shorter, and the intermaxillary and mandibulary are 

 deeply concave anteriorly. There are 12 abdominal and 22 caudal verte- 

 bra, the former portion being only % as long as the caudal.'' (Gimther.) 

 Some specimens, apparently males, with the anterior profile vertical and 

 very high; fins high; caudal lanceolate, the black median rays much 

 exceeding the outer pale ones. Females with the anterior profile a 

 nearly even curve, the caudal lunate, its median black rays shorter than 

 the outer pale ones. Body liver brown, paler below, with usually 5 or 6 

 darker cross bars extending on the dorsal ; a black spot behind eye in all; 

 fins mostly blackish, an orange area on upper edge of caudal; a yellow 

 one tinged reddish below; eye red posteriorly. Length 6 to 8 inches. 

 Tropical America, on both coasts, very abundant in rock pools, north to 

 West Indies and to Todos Santos. Here described from specimens from 

 Mazatlan. 



Punaru, MARCORAVE, Hist. Brazil, 165, 1648, Brazil. 



Salarias atlanticus, CUVIER <fe VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xr, 321, 1886, Madeira 



(Coll. Richardson) , Antilles (Coll. Plee) ; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish., m, 242, 1861. 

 Rupiscartes atlanticus, JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1888, 333. 



892. ENTOMACRODUS,* Gill. 



Salarias, SWAINSON, Nat. Hist. Class'n Fishes, n, 274, 1839 (vermicularis; not of CUVIER). 

 Entomacrodus, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1859, 168 (nigricans). 



This genus has large posterior canines as in Rupiscartes, but the dorsal 

 fin is divided into 2 fins as in Scartichthys. (sv, in ; TO/.IOS, cutting ; dxpog, 

 sharp; 68ov$, tooth.) 



a. Orbital cirrus present; dorsal rays XII or XIII-15 ; canines small. 



6. Cirrus above eye divided ; anal rays 15. CHIOSTICTUS, 2749. 



bb. Cirrus above eye simple or nearly so; anal rays 18; body with pearly spots. 



MARGARITACEUS, 2750. 



* This genus is equivalent to Salarias of Swainson, but the generic name Salarias was 

 based on Salarias quadripinni*, before either of the species referred to it by Swainson 

 was made known. 



