Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1271 



Tampa to Brazil. It reaches but a small size, rarely exceeding a foot, and 

 it inhabits chiefly shallow waters. In Havana it is one of the most 

 common food-fishes, in abundance not exceeded by any other species. Its 

 strongly marked coloration renders its recognition easy, (tivvaypis, an 

 old name of Dentex dentex, a species which this one was thought to resemble. ) 



Salpa purpurescens variegata (Lane Snapper), CATESBY, Hist. Nat. Carolina, pi. 17, 1743, 

 Bahamas. 



Sparus synagris, LINN^US, Syst. Nat., x, 280, 1758; after CATESBY. 



Sparus vermicularis, BLOCH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Icbth., 275, 1801, Martinique ; on a draw- 

 ing by PLUMIEB. 



Lutjanus aubrieti, DESMAREST, Prem. Dec. Ichth., 17, pi. 2, 1823, Cuba. 



Mesoprion uninotatus, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., n, 449, 1828, San 

 Domingo; Martinique; GUNTHER, Cat., I, 202. 



Lutjanus uninotatus, POEY, Synopsis, 294, 1868. 



Lutjanus synagris, POEY, Enunieratio, 27, 1875; JORDAN <fc GILBERT, Synopsis, 922; JOR- 

 DAN & SWAIN, 1. c., 448; JORDAN, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1889, 648; JORDAN, I. c., 1890, 

 319; JORDAN & FESLER, I. c., 450. 



1646. NEOMjEXIS AMBIGUUS* (Poey). 



Head 2,?,,; depth 3. D. X, 13; A. Ill, 9; scales (6) 9-53-15, 50 pores. 

 Body oblong, compressed, formed much as in N. synagris, but more slender, 

 the anterior profile nearly straight from tip of snout to nape, thence con- 

 vex; snout rather long and pointed, 3 in head; eye small, 4f in head; 

 interorbital space narrow, carinate, its width 5J in head; occipital keel 

 rather prominent; preorbital moderate, its least width 6 in head; mouth 

 moderate, slightly oblique, the lower jaw a little projecting, the maxillary 

 extending to opposite front of pupil, its length 2f in head. Teeth essen- 

 tially as in N. synagris; canines of upper jaw small; enlarged teeth of 

 lower jaw scarcely caninelike; tongue with a single, large, oblong patch 

 of teeth ; vomer with an /jVshaped patch of teeth, the prolongation on the 

 median line moderate; no pterygoid teeth. Gill rakers longer than in 

 most species of Neomcenis, about 15 developed on lower part of anterior 

 arch. Preopercle nearly vertical, its emargination very slight, its seme 

 distinct. Scales rather small, those below lateral line in horizontal series, 

 those above lateral line in regular and very oblique series, which are not 

 parallel with the lateral line; cheek with 5 rows of scales; temporal 

 region scaled from the eye backward, posteriorly with a band of rather 

 large scales followed by smaller ones; bases of soft dorsal and anal scaly; 

 dorsal fin little emargiuate, the spines rather slender and low, the longest 

 2i in head; longest ray of soft dorsal 2| in head; caudal rather deeply 

 forked, the longest rays 1 in head, the median rays 3| ; anal spines slender, 

 regularly graduated, the second spine 4 in head ; soft anal rounded, rather 

 low, the longest rays 2f in head ; pectorals long and falcate, 1^ in head; 

 ventrals If. In spirits, nearly uniform brownish above, paler below, with 



* Tbis species is very well distinguished from Neomcenis synagris and from Ocyurus 

 chrisurus, but it presents sucb a singular blending of the characters of the two as to lend 

 much probability to Poey's conjecture that it is a hybrid of Neomcenis synagris with 

 Ocyurus chrysur'us. Two specimens are known, the one sent by Poey to the II. S. National 

 Museum and* described in the paper of Jordan & Swain; the other sent by Poey to the 

 museum at Cambridge, is very similar, with well-forked caudal and numerous gill rakers. 

 The lower jaw is, however, scarcely projecting, and the pectoral short, Ig in head. 



