Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 639 



ocellated black spot behind, disappearing in adults; caudal faintly 

 clouded with dusky, especially about the middle; ventrals pale, some- 

 what soiled. 9 , olivaceous, sides paler olive, with metallic luster; belly 

 white; 7 to 15 very narrow, sharply defined black bars on sides, not 

 extending on the back, scarcely broader than the pupil ; scales marked 

 as in the males, but much more faintly; fins pale, almost immaculate. 

 Length 6 inches. Coast of the Gulf States, in brackish waters and shal- 

 low bays ; very abundant from Florida to Texas, (similis, similar, the 

 sexes being nearly alike.) 



Hydrargyra sn/nVis, BAIRD & GIBARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1853, 389, Indianola, Texas; 



(Coll. Clark); GIRARD, U. S. & Hex. Bound. Surv., Zool., 68, pi. 35, figs. 1-8, 1859. 

 Fmtihdns similis, GUNTHER, Cat., vi, 323, 18GG; JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., 1882, 



252; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 333, 1883. 



930. FUNDULTJS MAJALIS (Walbaum). 

 (KILLIFISH ; MAYFISH ; KOCKFISH.) 



HeadSf; depth 4. D. 12; A. 10; scales 36-13. Body oblong, scarcely 

 elevated, little compressed; head rather prolonged anteriorly; the mouth 

 small, terminal, and very oblique ; scales rather large ; dorsal fin moder- 

 ate; anal fin very high in the males, moderate in the females; ventrals 

 long in the males, reaching past front of anal; eye moderate, shorter 

 than snout and than interorbital space ; a slight angle formed by the 

 profile, in front of the eye, due to the greater flattening of the snout. 

 Males dark olivaceous above; sides silvery or somewhat golden, with 

 about a dozen broad transverse bars of the color of the back ; posterior 

 part of the dorsal fin with a black patch ; fins yellowish or pale. Females 

 olivaceous above, white below, a narrow black longitudinal stripe along 

 sides about on the level of the eye and as wide as the pupil ; below this, 

 two similar black stripes anteriorly and one posteriorly, the upper one 

 being interrupted; one or two black bars at base of caudal. Females 

 usually larger than the males. A large male of this species, in high color- 

 ation, taken at Beaufort, N. C., showed the following colors in life : Back 

 olive, sides and belly bright salmon yellow ; lower fins clear yellow ; pec- 

 torals and anal with some dusky ; posterior edge of caudal dark ; dorsal 

 nearly all black, a large black ocellated spot on the last rays; opercles 

 and underparts of head with an inky suffusion; cheeks, top of head, 

 and mouth bronze yellow ; sides with about 18 narrow, dusky vertical 

 bars. Teeth in a broad band ; an outer row of rather large teeth. Ovi- 

 duct adnate to first anal ray for a short distance. Length 6 inches. Cape 

 Cod to Florida; the largest of our PwciUida;; abundant in shallow bays, 

 especially north ward, (majalis, pertaining to May, translation of Mayfish.) 



Mayfish, SCHOPF, Naturforscheren de Freunde, 1788, 172, Long Island. 



Cobitis majalis, WALBAUM, Artedi Pise., in, 12, 1792, Long Island; after Mayfish of SCHOPF. 



Esoxflavulus, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., i, 1815, 439, New York. 



Esox zonatus, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y., i, 1815, 440, New York; young. 



Hydrargyra trifasciata, STORER, Journ. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1837, 417, Massachusetts. 



Hydrargyra vernalis, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Hat. Poiss., xvm, 206, 1846, presented by M. 



LECONTE, probably from South Carolina. 



Hydrargyra majalis, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xvm, 207, 1846. 

 Ftmdulus majalis, GUNTHER, Cat, vi, 322, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 331, 1883. 



