818 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



orbit ; a single series of small fixed teeth in upper jaw, none in the lower 

 or on the vomer ; lips thin. Preorbital serrate, anteriorly and inferiorly. 

 Anterior dorsal spines of moderate strength, 2 in head. Sides and belly 

 bright silvery, back clear green ; a large silvery blotch on each side above, 

 fading at death. Length 2 inches. Pacific Coast of Tropical America, 

 from Mazatlan to Peru ; locally abundant, (harengus, herring.) 



Myxus harengus, GUNTHER, Cat., in, 467, 1861, Pacific Coast of Central America. (Coll. 



Captain Dow.) 

 Querimana harengus, JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884,274. 



1193. QUERIMANA GYRANS, Jordan & Gilbert. 

 (WHIRLIGIG MULLET.) 



Head 3; depth 3f; eye 3f, large, equaling interorbital width, about 

 twice length of snout. D. IV-I, 7 ; A. II, 7 or 8 ; scales 28 or 29. Body 

 compressed, especially below ; upper anterior profile descending in a curve 

 to the short snout ; top of head transversely convex ; mouth rather narrow, 

 oblique, the symphysis of lower jaw forming an acute angle. Teeth in a 

 single series in upper jaw, rather better developed than in species of 

 Mugil, but not evidently of different character. Origin of ventral fins 

 midway between snout and end of anal fin ; pectorals long, 5 times in 

 length of body ; vertical fins apparently scaleless. Some specimens (per- 

 haps females) green above ; sides and belly silvery ; middle of back with 

 a large pale area, shining silvery when in the water. Other specimens 

 (perhaps males) with a broad coppery olive shade along the sides, extend- 

 ing on the back ; color otherwise the same ; the pale dorsal blotch as in 

 the other; fins pale. South Atlantic Coast of United States, known from 

 Woods Hole (Smith and Kendall) to Key West; generally abundant ; a 

 curious little mullet, often found swimming round and round in great 

 schools at the surface like whirligig beetles; usually mistaken for the 

 young of the mullet or the bluefish. According to Mr. W. C. Kendall it 

 is common off Fortress Monroe, Virginia. Close to Querimana harengus, 

 but differing in coloration, size of scales, fin rays, etc. Length 2 inches. 

 (gyrans, whirling.) 



Querimana gyrans, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884, 26, Key West ; SMITH, Bull. 

 U. S. Fish Comm., xi, 1891, 192. (Type, No. 34966. Coll. Jordan.) 



367. AGONOSTOMUS, Bennett. 



Agonostomus, BENNETT, Proc. Comm. Zool. Soc., 1830, 166, (telfairii). 

 Dajaus, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xi, 164, 1836, (monticola). 

 Nestis, CUVIFR & VALENCIENNES, I. c., xi, 166, 1836, (cyprinoides = telfairii). 



Fresh-water mullets, with cleft of mouth extending laterally about to 

 front of eye. Small teeth in villiform bands in both jaws, and some- 

 times on the vomer. Edge of lower lip rounded, not sharp. Stomach 

 not gizzard-like. Anal spines usually 2, the first soft ray slender and 

 often taken for a spine. Streams of mountainous regions in tropical 

 countries. The American species constitute the subgenus Dajaus, char- 

 acterized by the presence of teeth on the palatines, (a-, without; yuvia, 

 angle; dro^ua, mouth.) 



