Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1211 



third scarcely height of first soft ray ; veutrals inserted well in advance 

 of base of pectorals, not nearly reaching vent, \ head; pectorals long and 

 narrow, reaching front of anal, with narrow scaly base, the posterior 

 margin obliquely truncate or somewhat /-shaped in the spread fin, the 

 lower rays slightly longer than upper, the middle rays shortest. Scales 

 large, ctenoid, a wide rough area within the spinous margin; cheeks and 

 opcrcles scaled, the scales on opercles larger than elsewhere; top of head 

 scaled as far forward as posterior margin of pupil ; caudal fin scaled at 

 base of lobes ; fins otherwise without scales; lateral line running high 

 and descending gradually to middle of caudal peduncle. Color in spirits: 

 Dusky brownish above, lighter below ; a series of about 7 ill-defined dusky 

 blotches along lateral line, from which still fainter bars run downward, 

 soon disappearing ; lining of opercle largely black ; this apparent as a 

 dusky blotch externally ; vertical fins transparent, minutely punctate 

 with black ; median rays of ventrals black, the outer and inner whitish ; 

 peritoneum silvery white ; no very conspicuous marks on body or fins. 

 Gulf of California. A single specimen known, about 7 inches long, from 

 Station 2996, in 112 fathoms, (fequus, equal; dens, tooth.) 

 Serranus itquidens, GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 18SO, 61, Gulf of California, Albatross 



Station No. 2996 (Type, No. 44277); JORDAN & EIGENMANN, 1. c., 406; BOULENGER, 



Cat., i, 291. 



1596. PRIONODES FUSCULUS (Poey). 



Head 2; depth 3. D. X, 12; A. Ill, 7; scales 48. Body rather 

 elongate, little compressed ; scales on cheeks very large, in about 5 series ; 

 teeth unusually strong, three or four on each side in upper jaw as large 

 as the largest lateral teeth; eye very large, 2 in head; maxillary 2 in 

 head ; jaws equal ; preorbital extremely narrow, not i width of pupil ; 

 preopercle very sharply serrate ; gill rakers short, slender, x -f- 10 ; scales 

 very large, covering head forward to back of pupil ; first dorsal spine 

 short, second a little longer ; fourth longest, 2 in head ; the rest 

 gradually shortened, lower than the soft rays, which are scaleless ; second 

 anal spine 4 in head, as long as third and stouter ; caudal forked. Color 

 plain olivaceous ; fins all pale, no opercular blotch ; sides with about 6 

 faint dark cross bands, more or less confluent along lateral line, and dis- 

 appearing below. Cuba; known only from the original type, sent by 

 Poey to the museum at Cambridge. From this specimen (10015, M. C. Z., 

 7 inches in length) our description is taken. (fusculus, somewhat 

 tawny.) 



<',->,tr<>prixtefifn8culu*, POEY, Memorias, ir, 342, 1861, Havana. (Coll. Poey.) 



Iliilipercafiiscnla POEY, Synopsis, 281, 1868. 



Serranusfusculu*, JORDAN- & EKJENMANM, /. c., 407, 1890; BOULENOER, Cat., i, 290. 



1597. PRIONODES PH<EBE (Poey). 



' (PlKEBE). 



Head 2 ; depth 3. D. X, 12 ; A. Ill, 7 ; scales 5-53-15, pores 50 to 52. 

 Body oblong, heavy anteriorly ; dorsal outline a little elevated, the profile 

 almost straight; eyes very large, as long as snout, 3 in head, twice the 



