1270 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



1645. NEOMJGNIS SYNAGRIS (Linnaeus). 

 (LANE SNAPPER; BIAJAIBA; RED-TAIL SNAPPER.) 



Head 2f; depth 2|. D. X, 12; A. Ill, 8; scales (7) 8-60-15, 50 pores. 

 Body oblong, compressed, the back moderately elevated, profile almost 

 straight from snout to nape ; suont rather pointed, 3 in head ; eye moderate, 

 5 in head ; interorbital space gently convex, 5| in head ; occipital keel little 

 prominent; preorbital rather broad, 4f in head; maxillary reaching front 

 of orbit, 2 in head; uper jaw with a narrow band of villiform teeth, 

 outside of which is a single series of enlarged teeth ; 4 rather small canines 

 in front, 2 of them larger; lower jaw with villiform band in front only, 

 the single row of larger teeth nearly equal in size, none of them canines; 

 tongue with a single oval patch, its length more than twice its width; 

 vomer with a A or A-shaped patch of teeth, without backward prolonga- 

 tion on median line, or with only a very slight one. Gill rakers rather 

 long, their length slightly more than | diameter of eye, about 5 -f-9, and 

 no rudiments before them. Preopercle with its posterior margin slant- 

 ing downward and forward, the emargination broad and moderately deep ; 

 preopercle rather finely serrate above, with coarser teeth at the angle. 

 Scales rather small, the rows almost horizontal below the lateral line, 

 above somewhat undulate, running upward and backward; tubes of 

 lateral line simple; 6 rows of scales on the cheek, 1 row 011 the interoper- 

 cle, 1 on the subopercle, and 6 on the opercle; temporal region with a 

 broad band of scales, arranged in several series ; base of soft dorsal and 

 anal scaly; dorsal spines rather weak and slender, the outline of the fin 

 gently convex, the fourth spine longest, 2f in head, the tenth spine 3| in 

 head ; soft dorsal short, its margin somewhat angulated, the eighth ray 

 longest, twice the length of last ray and 1^ first, 2f in head; caudal mod- 

 erately forked, the upper lobe the longer, ! length of middle rays, which 

 are 2 in head;, anal rather high, rounded in outline, its middle rays 

 longest, If length of last ray, 2f in head, first ray reaching middle of 

 last ray when the fin is depressed ; second anal spine stronger than third 

 and of equal length, 3f in head; ventrals If in head; pectorals reaching 

 front of anal, 1 in head. Color in life, rose-colored, silvery tinged below, 

 slightly olivaceous but not dark above; a large, round, maroon blotch, 

 larger than eye, just above lateral line and below front of soft dorsal, 

 always present; series of stripes of deep golden-yellow along sides; 3 on 

 head, the upper from snout through eye; about 10 on body, the lower 

 nearly straight and horizontal, the upper undulating and irregular, extend- 

 ing upward and backward; belly white, its sides largely yellowish; lips 

 red; maxillary partly yellow; tongue yellowish ; iris fiery red; caudal 

 deep blood-red; spinous dorsal nearly transparent, with a marginal and 

 basal band of golden; soft dorsal light red, edged with golden; ventrals 

 and anal golden; pectorals pinkish. Young quite green above. Simi- 

 larly striped Cuban specimens are generally duller, with the yellow stripes 

 decidedly coppery, [n spirits the bright colors fade, only the lateral 

 blotch and the streaks on the head being persistent. West Indies; 

 Florida Keys to Colon and Brazil; very common almost everywhere from 



