Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 879 



which equals twice length of snout; it is highest in niiddle. Ninth and 

 thirteenth spines slightly longer than third spine and more than twice 

 as long as twentieth, their length equaling i that of snout. Soft dorsal 

 highest anteriorly, its longest ray, the fifth, being nearly twice least 

 height of tail. Caudal forked, its middle rays about i as long as 

 external rays. Anal origin under the third ray of soft dorsal, its dis- 

 tance from vent 2 times length of dagger-shaped spine. Vent directly 

 under end of spinous dorsal. Anal rays longest anteriorly, the fifth ray 

 being nearly as long as corresponding ray of soft dorsal. The dagger- 

 shaped spine in front of anal - least height of tail ; ventral immediately 

 under third spine of dorsal ; its first and longest ray f interorbitalVidth ; 

 fifth ray about as long as first ; pectoral beginning under second dorsal 

 spine, its length 2 times width of interorbital area, extending to verti- 

 cal midway between fifth and sixth dorsal spines. Lateral line well 

 developed, descending gradually from upper angle of gill opening, 

 reaching median line of body under soft dorsal. Scales irregular in 

 shape, thin, elongate, cycloid, and deciduous. Purplish; the spinous 

 dorsal, pectorals, ventrals, and inside of mouth blackish. Known from 

 one specimen caught by Captain Thomas Thompson, on Le Have Bank, 

 south of Newfoundland, in 125 fathoms. (Bean.) (violacea, violet- 

 colored.) 

 Tliymtops violaccm, BEAN, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus., 1887, 513, Le Have Bank. (Type, No. 



39287. Coll. W. A. Wilcox); GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth., 195, 1895. 

 Thyrsites niger, POEY, Enumeratio, 74, 1875. 



397. RUVETTUS, Cocco. 



(ESCOLARES.J 



Rm-etlnft, COCCO, Giorn. Sci. Sicilia., XLII, 2, 1829, (pretiosus). 



Apliirus, LOWE, Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond., n, 180, 1841 (simplex). 



Acanthoderma, CANTRAINE, Journ. Ac. Sci. Belles-Lettres Bruxelles, x, 1835, ( temrninki). 



Body fusiform, moderately elongate, the skin covered with bony tuber- 

 cles remote from each other and obliquely placed. Mouth large, with 

 strong teeth, some of the anterior in each jaw canine-like. Lateral line 

 obscure, little developed. Abdomen keeled. Tail not keeled. Dorsals 

 near together, well differentiated; dorsal and anal each with 2 finlets. 

 Ventral rays I, 5. Color black. One species. A large, deep-water fish, 

 generally valued as food in the tropics. (Eoveto or Ruvetto, Italian name 

 of Euvettus pretiosus.} 



1268. BUVETTUS PBETIOSUS, Cocco. 

 (ESCOLAB; ROVETTO; RUVETTO; CHICOLAR; OIL FISH; SCOUR FISH; PLAIN-TAIL.) 



Head 4 ; depth 6 ; eye large, 5. D. XV-18-II ; A. 17-11 ; V. 1, 5 ; C. 9 -f- 8; 

 vertebrjBl6-f-16=32. CcecalltoU. Body oblong, compressed, not greatly 



* Another fish of this group, apparently allied to Escolar has been mentioned us Tlii/rsHi-N niger, 

 POXY. 



Known only from a fragment of the tail of a specimen weighing about 100 pounds. Caudal 

 peduncle witli a distinct keel. Scales thin, smooth, and roundish, not spinous. Color every- 

 where intense black. Last rays of dorsal apparently detached. Flesh white, exquisite in 

 flavor, as in J{i;-ttii<s y ,,v//..sw<. Havana. (Poey.) Thrown on shore by a storm. This L-> proba- 

 bly not a Thyrsites, nor a Bipinuula, as the caudal peduncle has no keel in either genus, (niger, 

 black.) 



