830 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



youDg very common at Key West and at Havana ; the adult a food-fish of 



some importance, (virginicus, from Virginia, but the species does not 



range so far to the northward.) 



Piracoaba, MARCGRAVE, Hist, Nat. Bnusil, 176, 1648, Brazil. 



Polynemus virginicus, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 317, 1758, America; JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., 118, 1884; JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 36, 1886. 



Polydactylus plumierii, LACKP^DE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 419, 1803, Martinique, from a drawing 

 by PLUMIER. 



Polynemus plumierii, GUNTHER, Cat., n, 321, 1860; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 413, 1883. 



Trichidion plumieri, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 279, 1861; POEY, Synopsis, 387, 1868. 



Polynemus mango, LACEPEDE, Hist, des Poiss., v, 413, 417, 418, 1803, America; based on P. virgini- 

 cus, LINNAEUS. 



Polynemus americanus, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., in, 393, 1829, SanDomingo 

 (Coll. Ricord); Martinique (Coll. P16e). 



Polynemus oligodon.* GUNTHER, Cat., n, 322*, 1860, Rio Janeiro. 



1209. POLYDACTYLUS OCTONEMTJS (Girard). 



Head 3 ; depth 3fr. D. VIII-I, 12 or 13 ; A. Ill, 13 to 15 ; scales 6-70- 

 10. Maxillary less than i length of head ; pectoral filaments 8 ; body 

 somewhat compressed, elongated, anterior profile nearly straight, little 

 declined. Head much compressed, gape oblique; snout 5 in head; eye 

 less than interorbital space, 4| in head. Scales rather small. Longest 

 dorsal spine H in head ; longest ray of soft dorsal If in head ; caudal 

 lobe slightly longer than head, 3J in body ; pectoral fins !- in head ; 

 pectoral filaments 8, reaching to vent in adult (octofilis}, longer in young 

 (octonemus). Color light olivaceous, tinged with dark punctulations ; 

 belly whitish ; pectoral black in adult, pale in young. South Atlantic 

 and Gulf Coast of the United States, from New York to the Rio Grande on 

 sandy shores ; scarce; an adult specimen corresponding to octofilis was 

 taken by Dr. Gilbert at Charleston, S. C., where it is very rare, entirely 

 unknown to the fishermen. Along the Texas Coast the young are more 

 common, these corresponding to the description of octonemus. Octofilis is 

 probably the adult form of Polydactylus octonemus, from which it differs 

 only in having darker pectoral fins and shorter pectoral filaments, differ- 

 ences which come with age in other species of Polydactylus, and no doubt 

 in this one also. (OKTU, eight ; vy/ua, thread.) 



Polynemus octonemus, GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1858, 167, Brazos Santiago; Gal- 

 veston; young; GUNTHER, Cat, n, 320, 1860; GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1879. 

 128; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 413, 1883. 



Trichidion octofilis, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, 280, New York; adult. 



Trichidion octonemus, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, 280. 



Polynemus octofilis, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 590; JORDAN & GILBERT, 

 Synopsis, 413, 1883. 



1210. POLYDACTYLUS OPERCULAKIS (Gill). 



Head 3i; depth 3|. D. VIII-I, 12; A. Ill, 13; scales 8-69 or 75-13. 

 Maxillary more than i length of head ; pectoral filaments usually 9 ; 



*Dr. Giinther's description is as follows: 



I>. VIII-I, 13; A. II, 15; scales 7-70-14. Seven pectoral appendages of moderate length. 

 Distance between root of ventral and origin of anal loss than that between posterior nostril and 

 point of operculum. The villiform teeth of palatine and pterygoid bones form a narrow band. 

 Pectorals and top of first dorsal black. 



