1296 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



dusky, lateral band is also distinct, but all traces of this disappear with 

 death. The Cuban specimens are more dusky in color and less distinctly 

 spotted; the coloration above rather brassy than pearly. West Indies; 

 Florida Keys to Brazil ; reaches a length of 2 feet or more, and is an impor- 

 tant food-fish at Key West, Havana, Nassau, St. Thomas, and Jamaica. 

 (albus, white.) 



Perec, marina gibbosa (Margate-fish), CATESBY, Nat. Hist. Car., 2, pi. 2, 1742, Bahamas. 

 Perca gibbosa, WALBAUM, Artedi Pise., 348,1792; after CATESBY ; not Perca gibbosa, LIN- 



N^JUS, which is Eupomotis gibbosus. 



Calliodon gibbosus, BLOCK & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth., 312, 1801 ; after CATESBY. 

 Hcemulon album, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 241, 1830, St. Thomas ; 



JORDAN & FESLER, I. c., 469, 1893. 



Hcemulon microphthalmum, GUNTHER, Cat., I, 306, 1859, America. 

 Hcemulon gibbosmn, JORDAN & SWAIN, I. c., 290, 1884. 



1664. ILEMULON MACROSTOMUM, Giinther. 



(GRAY GRUNT; STRIPED GRUNT.) 



Head 2f ; depth 2f. D. XII, 16; A. Ill, 8; scales 7-51-13 (9 above in an 

 oblique series). Body oblong, moderately compressed, the anterior profile 

 almost straight; snout rather long and pointed, its length 2 in head; eye 

 large, 3 in head ; mouth rather large, the maxillary reaching front of pupil, 

 2 in head; least width of preorbital about 5 in head. Teeth moderate, 

 the outer row in the upper jaw and the posterior teeth in both jaws con- 

 siderably enlarged. Preopercle moderately serrate. Gill rakers small. 

 Scales moderate, those above lateral line not enlarged ; those below very 

 slightly enlarged ; scales above arranged in very oblique series, the series 

 below oblique anteriorly, becoming horizontal posteriorly. Dorsal spines 

 strong, the longest 2J in head; soft dorsal rather high; caudal lobes sub- 

 equal, If in head; anal spines strong, the second longest and strongest, 2f 

 in head, its tip reaching, when depressed, beyond tip of last ray ; soft anal 

 very high, its free margin concave, its longest ray 2f in head, reaching 

 much beyond tip of last ray; pectorals 1| in head; ventrals If. Color 

 in spirits, pearly gray, with conspicuous narrow dark streaks, arranged 

 essentially as in the young of all the other species of Hwmulon, but in 

 this species persistent through life ; a median streak from tip of snout to 

 dorsal, 1 from snout above eye, along sides of back to last ray of soft 

 dorsal, 2 below this from eye above to last ray of soft dorsal, the upper 

 one more or less interrupted behind; a fourth streak from eye nearly 

 straight to base of caudal; traces below this of a fifth streak; a short 

 streak fom eye to gill opening, between the third and fourth streaks ; tin 

 is continued on the body in a series of irregular marks and dots ; a large 

 black blotch on opercle undei? angle of preopercle; fins all dusty olive, the 

 pectorals palest; ventrals darkest.* Here described from No. 26555, U. S. 

 N. M., from Key West. West Indies, north to Florida Keys and Clearwater 

 Harbor. Not very common, (juanpo*,, long; tfrojua, mouth.) 



* We have examined specimens of this species from Clearwater Harbor, Key West, 

 Jamaica, and St. Thomas. The large specimen from St. Thomas, a foot in length, is per- 

 fectly unicolor, only some of the upper scales having darker centers. After careful con- 

 sideration we have decided that H. macrostomum, Giinther, and H.fremebundum, Goode & 

 Bean, must be identical, although there are one or two slight discrepancies in Giinther's 

 description. 



