2706 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



Color grayish and brownish, with a submetallic luster upon the scales 

 when examined separately ; the denticulations of the scales dark and prom- 

 inent, giving a clouded general aspect; some of the smaller specimens 

 with large, irregular, brownish blotches above, and a dark subcircular 

 blotch near the root of the tail, its diameter twice eye; colorless below. 

 (Goode & Bean.) West Indies and Gulf of Mexico, in deep water; a well- 

 defined species, (piger, sluggish.) 



Aphoristia pigra, GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., xn, 5, 154, 1886, St. Kitts, in 



about 250 fathoms (Coll. Blake) ; GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichthyology, 460, 1896. 

 Symphurus piger, JORDAN &, Goss, Review Flounders and Soles, 326, 1889. 



3079. SYMPHURUS MARGINATUS (Goode & Bean). 



Head 5J in total length ; depth 4 J. D. 96 to 100 ; A. 86 or 87 ; ventral 4 ; 

 scales 88 to 90 ; eye 4 in head ; snout 4|. Body slender, lanceolate ; mouth 

 moderate, oblique, curved, its angle below front of pupil of upper eye ; 

 dentition feeble; eyes moderate, close together, the upper very slightly in 

 advance ; nostril in a long slender tube, midway between lower eye and 

 tip of snout ; scales moderate, strongly and sharply denticulate, not keeled ; 

 origin of dorsal above posterior margin of upper eye ; anal scarcely so 

 high as dorsal ; median caudal rays short. Color in life, reddish gray, much 

 speckled with brown; belly bluish gray; bases and membranes covering 

 fin rays dark brown; caudal abruptly pale; tips of dorsal and anal rays 

 and some of the membrane covering caudal rays vermilion. West Indies, 

 in deep water. Described from, a specimen, 102 mm. in length, collected 

 by the Blake at Station CLXXXI, in 321 fathoms. (Goode & Bean. ) (mar- 

 ginatus, edged.) 



Aphoristia marginata, GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., xn, N"o. 5, 153, 1886, off St. 



Vincent (Coll. Blake) ; GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichthyology, 459, fig. 376, 1896. 

 Symphurug marginatus, JORDAN & Goss, Review Flounders and Soles, 323, 1889. 



3080. SYMPHURUS ATRAMENTATUS, Jordan & Bollman. 



Head 4f to 5; depth 3 to 3f . D. 92 to 95 ; A. 75 to 78 ; scales 95 to 100, 

 38 in a cross series. Body more elongate than in 8. atricaudus. Eyes larger, 

 the upper in advance of lower, vertical diameter of each 3 to 4 in head. 

 Cleft of mouth somewhat more curved than in S. atricaudus, otherwise 

 similar. Scales larger than in S. atricaudus; spines on posterior margin 

 not so strong. Ventral fins (measured from angle of gill opening) 2f to 3 

 in head. Color light brown, irregularly barred and marbled with darker ; 

 several irregular grayish bars most distinct on posterior parts, a distinct 

 narrow, dark bar behind gill opening ; anterior part of dorsal and anal fin 

 pale, posterior dark ; anterior part with 4 to 7 dusky oblique areas, pos- 

 terior part with 3 to 6 roundish inky-black spots ; caudal black, narrowly 

 tipped with white ; each scale with a narrow dark edge. Length about 

 4 inches. Pacific Ocean off Colombia, in water of moderate depth ; com- 

 mon. Related to Symplnirus atricaudus (Jordan & Gilbert), but distin- 

 guished by having 3 to 6 black oblong blotches" on posterior part of dorsal 



