1114 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



487. SPHYR^ENOPS, Gill. 



Spliyrsenops, GILL, in POEY, Memorias, n, 349, 1861, (bairdiamis). 



Body elongate, slender, covered with small scales. Head elongate ; 

 snout rather convex ; preopercle rounded, its edge serrate ; opercle with 

 3 spines, the middle one largest ; eye large ; mouth large. Villiform teeth 

 on jaws and voiner. Dorsal fins well separated, the first with 7 spines ; 

 second dorsal and anal short, the latter with 3 spines ; caudal forked. 

 One species known. (Sphyrcena, the Barracuda; &*/>, appearance.) 



1512. SPHYRjENOPS BAIRDIANUS, Poey. 



Head 3 ; depth 5 ; eye large, as long as snout, 3 in head. B. 6 ; D. 

 VII-I, 10; A. Ill, 7; scales about 60. Head depressed above the eye; 

 mouth very protractile ; teeth pointed, subequal. Maxillary long and 

 pointed, reaching posterior border of pupil. Opercular spine strong ; 

 dorsals about equal in height, the longest spine 2J in head; ventrals 

 longer than pectorals, which are 2i in head ; caudal forked ; anal spines 

 weak. Carmine red ; a large blue-black spot on the opercle ; fins red. 

 Known from a single young specimen taken in deep water off Cuba. (Poey. ) 

 Not seen by us. (Named for Professor Spencer Fullerton Baird.) 



Sphyrsenops bairdiamis, POEY, Memorias, n, 350, 1861, Cuba. 



488. SCOMBROPS, Temminck & Schlegel. 



Scombrops, TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL, Fauna Japonica, 118, 1842, (cheilodipter aides). 

 Latebrus, POEY, Memorias, n, 168, 1860, (oculatus). 



Body elongate, covered with small, thin, smooth scales ; lower jaw 

 longest ; 2 to 4 long canines in upper jaw, a series of canines in lower ; teeth 

 on palatines ; bones of head not serrated ; opercle with 2 feeble points. 

 Eye large. Branchiostegals 7. Dorsals separated, the first of 8 very feeble 

 spines ; anal spines 3 ; soft dorsal and anal rather long, of 12 to 14 rays. 

 Pyloric cceca 6 to 15. (Scomber, mackerel; cty, appearance.) 



Subgenus LATEBRUS,* Poey. 

 1513. SCOMBROPS OCULATUS (Poey). 

 (ESCOLAR CHINO.) 



Head 3 ; depth 3|; eye very large, 3 to 3| in head. D. VIII-1, 14 ; A. 

 Ill, 12 ; scales 45 to 50. Body elongate, the dorsal and ventral outlines 

 similar ; mouth very large, the lower jaw projecting ; maxillary extend- 

 ing beyond pupil, its length 1 in eye. Teeth long, sharp, slender, well 

 separated, with conical points, t some of them enlarged, forming small 

 canines ; 12 canines on premaxillary, 2 to 4 on inner edge longer than 



*Lalebrw, "etymologic fantastique." (Poey.) 



fin Poey's figure the premaxillary canines are represented as distinctly barbed, although 

 nothing is said of this character in his description. If this character exists, it may define the 

 subgenus or genus Latebrus, as the teeth in the Japanese Scombrops chilodipteroides are not barbed. 



