1362 Bulletin ^7, United States National Miiseum. 



graphical variety or southern representative of the common sheepshead. 

 (Aries, the ram. ) 



Sargus aries, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vi, 58, 1830, Rio Janeiro; Mara- 



caibo; GUNTHER, Cat. Fishes, i, 449; GUNTHER, Fishes Cent. America, 386, 1864. 

 Archosargus probatocephalus aries, EIGENMANN & HUGHES, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1887, 69. 

 Archosargus aries, JORDAN & FESLER, Z. c., 522, 1893. 



556. DIPLODUS, Rafinesque. 



Diplodus, RAFINESQUE, Indice d'lttiologia Siciliana, 54, 1810 (annularis). 



Sargus, CUVIER, Kegne Animal, Ed. 1, 272, 1817 (sargus); name preoccupied in Insects. 



Body oblong or ovate, more or less compressed, the back elevated; 

 mouth rather small, terminal, low. Incisors broad, truncate, entire; a 

 series of smaller teeth behind them. Molar teeth mostly in 2 or 3 rows. 

 No teeth on vomer or palatines. Scales moderate. Dorsal spines usually 

 12, strong, depressible in a groove; anal spines rather strong. Caudal fin 

 forked; interha^mals unmodified; first spine-bearing interneural without 

 antrorse spine above; skull essentially as in Archosargits, the frontal bone 

 more cavernous. Gill rakers short and slender. Branchiostegals 6. 

 Intestinal canal short; pyloric co3cafew. Coloration usually silvery, with 

 a black blotch on the back of the tail; young with black crossbars. Car- 

 nivorous species, chiefly European ; valued as food. The genus Diplodns 

 differs from Archosaryns chiefly in the absence of a procumbent dorsal 

 spine. The skull in Diplodus resembles that of Archosargus, but the 

 cavernous or honeycombed structure of the interorbital area is still more 

 prominent. (diTtkoog, double; 68ov$, tooth, from the two forms of teeth.) 



a. Scales large, about 56 in lateral line. HOLBROOKII, 1738. 

 aa. Scales smaller, 62 to 65 in lateral line. 



6. Eye large, 3 in head, 1 in snout. ARGENTEUS, 1739. 



bb. Eye smaller, 4 in head, 1 J in snout. SARGUS, 1740. 



1738. DIPLODTJS HOLBROOKII (Bean). 



Head 3f ; depth in adult 2-|; eye 4-J- in head, 1 in snout, or If in pre- 

 orbital. D. XII, 14 or 15 ; A. Ill, 13 ; scales 7-56-14. Body regularly ellip- 

 tical, moderately compressed ; profile regularly rounded, not as steep as in 

 Diplodus aryenteus', mouth large, almost horizontal; maxillary not reach- 

 ing front of eye, 3 in head; incisors , inserted obliquely; molars in 

 3 series above and 2 below; gill rakers | diameter of pupil, about 7+14; 

 longest dorsal spine 2 to 2f in head; caudal deeply forked; second anal 

 spine little larger than third, 3i in head; ventrals reaching half way to 

 anal fin; pectorals not reaching to first anal spine, 3^ in body; cheeks 

 with 4 rows of scales; steel-blue above, paler below, a broad black border 

 on the operculum; a black spot on the upper part of base of pectoral; a 

 broad black bar extending across caudal peduncle above. South Atlantic 

 and Gulf coasts of the United States; Cape Hatteras to Cedar Keys; 

 rather common as far north as Beaufort, where the young swarm about 

 the wharves. (Named for John Edwards Hoi brook, the distinguished 

 author of the Ichthyology of South Carolina.) 



