728 . Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



1077. FODIATOR ACUTUS (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 

 (SHARP-NOSED FLYING-FISH.) 



Head 3| in body ; depth 5 ; eye 3f in head. D. 10 ; A. 11 ; scales 41. 

 Snout long, about half longer than eye,2i in head ; lower jaw much pro- 

 jecting, the half-beak at its symphysis about i the length of the snout. 

 Origin of ventral fin midway between posterior margin of preopercle and 

 last caudal vertebra. Pectoral fins half length of body, their tips reach- 

 ing a little past front of dorsal ; the first ray simple, about f length of 

 the fin, the second ray divided. Ventrals 1| in length of head, their 

 tips scarcely reaching front of anal. Dorsal and anal fins inserted oppo- 

 site each other, the base of the anal slightly shorter than that of dorsal. 

 Dorsal fin high, its longest ray \\ in head. Color blue above, silvery 

 below. Pectoral fins black on their posterior half, shading into lighter 

 posteriorly ; a large black blotch on the upper f- of anterior rays of dor- 

 sal ; ventrals and anal white ; caudal dusky. Tropical America on both 

 shores, rather common in the Gulf of California (San Luis Gonzales Bay), 

 sometimes taken at Panama, and once recorded from Nice in France. 

 (acutus, sharp.) (Eu.) 



Exocoetus acvius, CuviEB & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xix, 125, 1846, Surinam; Nice; 



GCNTHER, Cat., vi, 281, 1866. 

 Fodiaior acutus, JORDAN & MEEK, I. <?., 46. 



333. PAREXOCCETUS, Bleeker. 



Parexoc&lus, BLEEKER, Nederl. Tydskr. Dierk., in, 105, 1865, (mento). 



Body moderately elongate, elliptical in cross section. Snout short; 

 lower jaw not produced. Roof of mouth (vomer, palatines, and ptery- 

 goids) fully provided with teeth ; pectoral fins moderate, not reaching 

 beyond middle of dorsal ; ventrals long, inserted behind middle of body ; 

 anal fin about as long as dorsal ; dorsal high. Small flying-fishes of the 

 tropical coasts, widely distributed, (irapa, near ; Exocoetus.} 



1078. PAREXOCCETUS MESOGASTER (Bloch). 



Head 4f in length of body ; depth 5. D. 12 ; A. 13 ; about 38 scales in 

 the lateral line, 5 rows of scales between lateral line and dorsal fin. Body 

 elongate, compressed (not angulated), rather deep; width of body at 

 base of pectorals 2 in head; head narrow, compressed, almost trenchant 

 below ; interorbital area flattish, about as wide as eye, 3 in head. Snout 

 short, rather pointed ; its length 4J in head ; teeth on tongue and pala- 

 tines ; gill rakers numerous, long and slender ; pectoral fins of moderate 

 length, their length l|to 2 in length of body, their tips reaching middle 

 of- base of dorsal fin; second ray of pectoral divided; dorsal fin very 

 high, its longest rays about longer than head ; base of dorsal about 1| 

 in length of head; tips of anterior rays of dorsal reaching beyond tips of 

 posterior rays when the fin is deflexed, and reaching almost to base of 

 caudal fin ; ventrals rather short, 4f in length of body, their tips reaching 

 slightly past origin of anal fin ; origin of ventrals midway between pupil 



