2696 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



slightly in advance of lower; longest dorsal rays are in posterior fifth of 

 the fin, of length of head; caudal rounded, rather longer than head. 

 Brownish, irregularly spotted with darker, and with about 10 black verti- 

 cal lines crossing the lateral line. Coasts of Surinam. (Giinther.) Not 

 seen by us. 



We know this species only from Dr. Giinther's description. Pleuronectes 

 achiriis, Linmeus, is based on a description by Gronow of some Achirus 

 from Surinam. Gronow's fish agrees with the present species in having 

 60 dorsal rays and 48 anal rays, in being brown, with transverse black 

 bands, with dark spots on the fins, as well as in coming from Surinam. 

 But Gronow explicitly denies the presence of pectorals, and the present 

 species has rudimentary pectoral fins 011 both sides. Probably these were 

 overlooked by Gronow, and as no other species found in the same region 

 has so large a number of rays, we feel justified in the use of the name 

 Acliirus achirus for this species, (-, without; x E ip> hand.) 



Pleuronectes oculis dextris, corpore glabro, pinnis pectoralibus nullis, GRONOW, Museum, 



I, No. 42, Surinam. 



Plcuroiiectes achirus, LINN^US, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 268, 1758, Surinam; based on GRONOW. 

 Solea gronovii, GUNTHER, Cat.y iv, 472, 1862, Surinam. 

 Achirus gronovii, JORDAN, Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus. 188G, 602. 

 Achirus achirus, JORDAN & Goss, Review Flounders and Soles, 311, 1889. 



8066. ACHIRUS IXSCRIPTUS, Gosse. 



Head 3| in body; depth If. D. 53 to 57; A. 40; scales 75 to 80; iiiter- 

 orbital width less than eye ; upper eye in advance of lower. Pectoral fin 

 present on each side, that of the left side rudimentary, of a single ray ; 

 that of the eyed side with about 3 ; left ventral with 1 or 2 small rays, 

 in some specimens entirely absent ; right ventral joined to anal. Scales 

 smaller and less rough than usual in this genus, those of nape scarcely 

 enlarged on eyed side, those of blind side much fringed; scales of colored 

 side with scattered hair-like appendages, some black, others pale. Color 

 olivaceous; head, body, dorsal, and anal fins covered with a network of 

 dark lines ; traces of about 8 dark cross streaks sometimes present ; caudal 

 fin yellowish, nearly plain, or with a few dark dots or reticulations, its 

 base dusky. Vertebra? 8 + 20 = 28. West Indies north to Key West. 

 Known to us from numerous specimens taken by Dr. Jordan at Key West, 

 and from specimens from Hayti, in the museum at Cambridge. These 

 specimens belong undoubtedly to the species called reticulaius by Poey, 

 and this is apparently not different from the iwcriptus of Gosse, as the 

 agreement with the latter is even closer than with the former description. 

 (inscriptus, written on.) 



Achirus inscriptus, GOSSE, Nat. Sojourn Jamaica, 52, pi. 1, fig. 4, 1851, Jamaica ; JORDAN, 

 Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mas. 1884, 143 ; JORDAN & Goss, Eeview Flounders and Soles, 311, 1889. 



Monochir reticulatus, POEY, Memorias, n, 317, 1861, Cuba; POEY, Synopsis, 409; POEY, 

 Enumeratio, 139. 



Solea reticulata, GUNTHER, Cat., iv, 472, 1862. 



Solea inscripta, GUNTHER, Cat., iv, 473. 1862. 



Boeostoma reticulatum, BEAN & DRESEL, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1884, 152. 



