Jordan and Ever mann. Fishes of North America. 1181 



with the markings more distinct than they are in the adults; young 

 sometimes with a dark blotch on back of caudal peduncle, according 

 to Boulenger. This description is chiefly from No. 4805. M. C. Z., from 

 Rio de Janeiro, 13 inches long. This species is very well distinguished 

 from all other groupers by the greatly increased number of gill rakers, a 

 character first pointed out by Dr. Bean. Perhaps more than one species 

 of this type exists, distinguished by the number of gill rakers. The type 

 of ruber has but 24. Those examined by us from Brazil and from Athens 

 have 30 or more. West Indies, Brazil, Mediterranean Sea, and islands of 

 the eastern Atlantic ; common in the Mediterranean and off the coast of 

 Brazil, (ruler, red ; from the supposed coloration of the original bleached 

 specimen, which may possibly have been a deep-water form.)* (Eu.) 



Epinephelus ruber, BLOCK, Ichthyologia, vn, 22, 1793, pi. 330, " Japan "; BOULENGER, Cat., i, 268. 

 Mycieroperca sciretiga, JORDAN & SWAIN, I. c., 369, 1884 (not Sparus scirenga, EAFINESQUE, which 



is an Epinephelus). 

 Serranus acutiroslris, CUVIEB & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., n, 286, 1828, Brazil; GUNTHER, 



Cat., i, 135, 1859. 

 Serranus undvlosus, C.UVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., n, 295,1828, Brazil; GONTHER, 



Cat., i, 143, 1859. 



Serranus tinea, CANTRAINE, "Nouv. Mem. Ac. Brux., 1831, xi," Naples. 

 Serranus fusciis, LOWE, Trans. Cambr. Philos. Soc., vi, 196, 1836, Madeira; GONTHER, Cat., i, 



134, 1859. 



Cerna nebulosa, Cocco, "Indice Pesci Messina, Gen. 45, sp. 2," 1844, Messina. 

 Cernamacrogenis, SASSI, "Descr. Geneva e il Genovasato, i, 139," 1846, Genoa. 

 Serranus emarginatus, VALENCIENNES, Ichth. lies Canaries, 10, 1850, Canary Islands. 

 Epinephelus chalinius, COPE, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc., 1871, 465, St. Martins. 

 Cerna acutirostris, var. lata, DODERLEIN, I. c., 74, Palermo; monstrous form. 

 Serranus ruber, PETERS, Berliner Monatsb., 107, 1865, (redescription of original type). 

 Mycteroperca rubra, JORDAN & EIGENMANN, I. c., 372, 1890. 



Submenus XYSTROPERCA, Jordan & Evermann. 



1571. MYCTEROPERCA PARDALIS,t Gilbert. 

 (CABRILLA PIRITITA.) 



Head 2f in length; depth 3; snout 3; eye 6. D.XI,17; A. Ill, 11; scales 

 90. Lower jaw strongly projecting. Teeth small, the outer row in mandible 



if this species should be found, the ordinary brown form or variety may 

 s. It is possible, also, as above indicated, that Mycieroperca acutirostris, to 

 iescription belongs, is really a distinct species. The following compari- 



*In case a red form of this species should be found, the ordinary brown form or variety may 

 be called var. acutirostris 



which form the above description belongs, is really a distinct . 



son of Bloch's type of Epinephelus ruber, .165 meters in length, from "Japan," with Mi/cteroperca 

 actitirostris, is made by Dr. Hilgendorf, who writes: "The gill rakers are indeed numerous. I 

 count 24 on the ceratobranchial of the first arch. The longest of these measures &% millime- 

 ters. The points in which ruber differs from acutirostris (compared with a larger example 

 12581, .283 millimeters long, from Athens) are the following: The pale coloration, which is hardly 

 to be explained by bleaching, as the dark-brown pigment suffers little, nor is it to be accounted 

 for by difference in age. The caudal is in ruber apparently strongly rounded, and the pectorals 

 as well as ventrals are longer in rnber. The ventrals reach at least to the vent. The point of 

 the pectoral is 78 millimeters from the snout, 86 millimeters from the end of the caudal (as 7 

 to 8). In acutirostris these numbers are respectively 123 and 160 millimeters (as 3 to 4). This 

 difference may be expressed by saying that in acutirostris (or in old examples?) the hinder parts 

 of the body are more stretched. The streaks on the sides shown in Bloch's figure are merely 

 the boundaries of the groups of muscles." The difference in the form of the caudal above 

 noticed may, we know, be due to age, as in specimens of 6 inches it is very rarely lunate. The 

 difference in form is not unlikely also a matter of age. The pale color of the type of Epinephelus 

 ruber may be due to exposure of the type to sunlight. A few weeks of such exposure will 

 destroy all pigment cells. As the specimen has now been more than a century in alcohol, such 

 an exposure may have some time taken place. 



t The following description is taken from a specimen from the Venados Islands, near Mazatlan : 



Mycieroperca pardali*.Head 3 in length; depth 3^. D. XI, 16; A. Ill, 11; scales 90 to 100, 



small, smooth, embedded, difficult to count. Eye 6% in head; maxillary 2%; pectoral 1^; 



