960 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum* 



not salient, its longest rays 3f in body. Gill rakers moderate, x -f- 13. 

 Color sooty gray, with some soiled silvery; snout, vertical tins, and 

 region above anal black j edges of dorsal and anal darker ; axil jet black 

 within. Bones firm. Length 2 to 4 feet. Open seas, widely distributed, 

 descending to considerable depths ; occasional 011 the coasts of Europe 

 as far north as the Faroe Islands, rarely taken on our Atlantic Coast. 

 Bermuda (Goode); Grand Bank (Bean). It has lately been frequently 

 obtained on our Pacific Coast in different localities from Santa Catalina 

 to Puget Sound. Here described from a specimen found in the Los 

 Angeles market. In our specimen the pectoral is a little longer and the 

 scales a little larger than in Day's figure of the European form, but 

 doubtless the same species. Many of the known specimens have been 

 beached by storms. An excellent food-fish. (Named for Rev. John Ray, 

 a learned naturalist, one of the ablest of the predecessors of Linnaeus.) 

 (Eu.) 



Brama marina cauda forcipata, RAY, Synopsis Methodica Piscium, 115, 1713, Middelburg. 



Sparnsraii, BLOCK, Ichthyol., pi. 273, 1791; after RAY, etc. 



Sparus castaneola, SHAW, Gen. Zoo!., iv., 404, 1803; after LACEPEDE, who copied from BLOCH. 



Sparusniger, TURTON, British Fauna, 98, 1807, Swansea. 



Lepodus saragus, RAFINESQUE, Caratteri, etc., 53, 1810, Palermo. 



Brama dussumieri, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poise., vn, 294, 1831, Indian Sea, Lon- 

 gitude 85 E. 



f Brama orcini, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, 1. c, vii, 295, 1831, Indian Sea, Longitude 85 E.; 

 from stomach of Germo alalunga. 



? Brama cfeiZeiwu, GAY, Hist. Chili, Peces, 218, 1843, Chile. 



Brama rail, VALENCIENNES IN CUVIER, Regne Anim., Illustr. Poiss., pi. 26, fig. 1, 1839, Chile; 

 after GAY'S type. 



Brama raji, BLOCK & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth., 99, 1801; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 915, 1883. 



Brama raii, GUNTHER, Cat., n, 408, 1860; LUTKEN, Spolia Atlantica. 



Family CXXXIII. STEINEGERIHLE. 



Dorsal fin low, divided by a deep notch into an anterior part of about 

 11 slender spines and a posterior part of about 18 soft rays; scales moder- 

 ate, each with a median keel ; ventrals I, 5, inserted before pectorals, 

 otherwise essentially as in the Bramidce, so far as external characters 

 show. The true relation of the group remains to be shown from a study 

 of the skeleton. One species known, from rather deep water. 



438. STEINEGERIA, Jordan & Evermann. 



Sleinefjeria, JORDAN & EVERMANN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1886, 467, (rubescens). 



Body ovate, considerably compressed, thickly covered with rather 

 large membranous scales, which are closely imbricated, and each with a 

 distinct median keel. Cleft of mouth very oblique, the lower jaw 

 strongly projecting. Jaws with bands of small cardiform teeth, those in 

 front largest, especially in the lower jaw; teeth. in villiform bands on 

 the palatines, but absent from the vomer. Premaxillaries protractile ; 

 preopercle without angle, with ascending limb finely serrulate, and with 

 a few coarser teeth about the angle. No distinct lateral line. Dorsal 



