Jordan and Ever mann. Fishes of North America. 1185 



posterior the larger. Upper limb of preopercle slightly convex, very 

 finely serrate ; a rather sharp notch above the angle, which is salient, and 

 bears a few coarse teeth. Gill rakers rather elongate, 15 or 16 besides 

 rudiments, 19 or 20 in all, on lower part of anterior arch. Scales small, 

 mostly cycloid. Dorsal spines rather slender and weak, the outline of 

 the fin gently curved, the second spine about equal to the eighth and 

 higher than the tenth ; the third and fourth spines longest, 2 in head ; 

 caudal with falcate lobes ; anal with its middle rays exserted ; longest 

 ray of anal 2i in head ; upper lobe of caudal \\. Pectoral reaching tips 

 of ventrals, 1* in head. Ventrals short, not reaching vent. Pyloric 

 cd'Cii 15. Color in life, brown above ; sides grayish brown, faintly covered 

 with darker spots which disappear in spirits ; eyes and angle of mouth 

 yellowish ; vertical fins dusky, the outer portions bluish black ; ventrals 

 and pectorals bluish black, the pectorals with a whitish edge. Length 

 2 to 3 feet. West Indies, north to Bermuda ; a common food-fish at Havana. 

 (falcatm, scythe-shaped.) 



Sen-anus falcatm, POEY, 'Memorias, n, 138, I860, Havana. 



Trisotropis falcntu*, POEY, Synopsis, 285, 1868. 



Mycteroperca fnlatta, JORDAN & SWAIN, 1. c., 1884, 362 ; JORDAN & EIGENMANN, 1. c., 368, 1890. 



l-'piuephelusfalcatus, BOULENGER, Cat., I, 261. 



Represented on the Florida Coast by 



1574a. MYCTEROPERCA FALCATA PHENAX, Jordan & Swain. 

 (SCAMP ; BACALAO.) 



Specimens from the Florida Coast differ somewhat from all those observed 

 at Havana. The chief difference is in the direction of the canine teeth, 

 which are rather weaker than in var. falcata, those of the upper jaw 

 scarcely directed forward, those of the lower scarcely backward. The 

 serrse on the preopercle are rather weaker than in var. falcata, and there 

 is some difference in color, as is shown in the following notes on a speci- 

 men from Key West: Head 3; depth 3f. D. XI, 18; A. Ill, 11; scales 

 24-135-10. Color in life : Pinkish gray above, paler purplish gray below ; 

 upper parts and opercle thickly covered with small, rounded, irregular 

 spots of dark brown ; sides with larger and fainter brown blotches, more 

 or less horizontally oblong, and somewhat reticulate ; spinous dorsal 

 brownish; soft dorsal darker, faintly spotted, edged with dusky and 

 with a narrow rim of whitish anteriorly; caudal brownish, spotted with 

 darker, its outer rays blackish posteriorly ; anal dusky, blackish ante- 

 riorly, and edged with whitish; pectorals plain, dusky toward the tips, 

 edged with whitish; ventrals pale, tipped with dusky; mouth pale, 

 scarcely greenish. Length about 2 feet. Coasts of southern Florida ; 

 abundant about the Keys, (q'evas, deceptive, equivalent to " scamp.") 



Trisotropi* fiilcalus, GOODS & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1879, 140; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synop- 

 sis, 538, 1883. 



Kpiiirphelusfalcatos, JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884, 124. 



Mycteroperca falcata phenax, JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884, 363, Key West; 

 JORDAN & EIGENMANN, I. c., 368, 1890. 

 F.N.A. 76 



