Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1207 



Subgenus DIPLECTRUM. 



1694. DIPLECTRUM FORMOSUM (Linnseus). 



(SQUIRREL-FISH; SERHANO; SAND-FISH.) 



Head 3; depth 3f. D. X, 12; A. Ill, 7; scales 9-80 to 90-22, pores 54 

 to 60. Body elongate, the profile strongly arched above eyes ; mouth 

 large, lower jaw slightly projecting; maxillary narrow, reaching middle 

 of eye, 2 in head; canine teeth small; eye placed high, shorter than 

 snout, about 5 in head ; preorbital broad, more than twice the width of 

 maxillary ; upper part of margin of preopercle finely serrate ; preopercle 

 with two clusters of divergent spines, the one at the angle, the other 

 higher (the two fascicles well separated in the adult, but smaller and 

 coalescent in the young) ; distance from opercular flap to upper end of 

 preopercle \\ in rest of head ; opercular flap short and sharp ; gill rakers 

 moderate, x + 14 or 15 ; top of head and preorbital region naked ; smooth 

 area on top of cranium very convex ; 11 rows of scales on cheeks ; fins, 

 except caudal, scaleless; 15 scales before dorsal; dorsal spines low and 

 slender, the first three graduated, the rest subequal ; caudal deeply 

 lunate, the upper lobe the longer, sometimes ending in a long filament ; 

 anal spines very weak, the third longest, \\ in eye; pectoral If in head. 

 Color brownish, silvery below ; sides with 7 or 8 longitudinal blue lines, 

 bright blue above, pearly whitish below, and about as many dark cross 

 bars, the last bar forming a large black blotch at upper base of caudal ; 

 6 of these present, with another at base of dorsal ; a broken median 

 stripe before dorsal ; stripes on head bright blue ; spinous dorsal with 2 

 stripes of light blue, bordered with darker, and 3 of light orange yellow ; 

 3 blue stripes and 4 yellow ones on soft dorsal; caudal with light-blue 

 reticulations around light-orange spots ; ventrals and anal bluish white, 

 shaded with light yellowish ; pectoral transparent ; posterior part of 

 mouth tinged with yellow ;* young with 2 broad, dusky longitudinal 

 stripes, which become interrupted with age ; 3 or 4 distinct blue stripes 

 on sides and top of head ; 2 across preorbital, the lower forked ; fins with 

 narrow, wavy bars of blue and pale yellow. West Indies ; common from 

 Charleston south to Montevideo.! A handsome fish, common on the 



* A specimen obtained by Dr. Hugh M. Smith in Biscayne Bay, Florida, in February, bud the 

 following life colors: Body dull light brownish above, white below, marked by 8 rather broad 

 dark cross bands, 3 or 4 longitudinal dark stripes, and 8 narrow blue longitudinal stripes most 

 distinct above where they contrast with the dark back. Head yellow, 5 or 6 narrow wavy blur 

 stripes on side of head below eye; head between eyes marked by 5 narrow blue cross bars run- 

 ning out on the nose; a dark spot at base of caudal; dorsal uniformly yellowish green, marked 

 by "2. median cross lines of blue, same color as the back; the blue lines posteriorly forming small 

 yellow ocelli; caudal same as dorsal as to color and markings; other fins white. 



f We have examined specimens from Charleston, Pensacola, Key West, CaptiTa Key, Havana, 

 Pernambuco, and Rio Janeiro. These specimens show no evident specific differences, but the 

 differences due to age are somewhat considerable. The smallest hpe.-imeiis before us (2 inches 

 long) have a very distinct dark lateral band running from the tip of the snout and ending in a 

 dark spot at the upper base of caudal fin; another (paler) band runs from the upper part of eye 

 to base of last dorsal rays; another from above eyo along base of dorsal. These bands are 

 sharply defined in the young, and traces of them are usually found in all examples. In the 

 smallest specimens the preopercle is simply but coarsely serrate with a salient angle; in larger 

 ones a portion of the preopercle is prolonged backward and its spines begin to radiate. In 

 examples of 4 inches the spines are not yet divided into 2 fascia', but later they begin to show 

 radiation from 2 distinct centers. In specimens of 7% inches the 2 fascicles of spines arc dis- 

 tinct. In the largest, the upper lobe of the caudal is filamentous. 



