1364 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



Sparus sargus, LINNJEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 278, 1758, Mediterranean. 



Sargus variegatus, LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 207, 1803, Mediterranean ; GOODE, 



Cat. Fish. Bermuda, in Am. Jour. Science and Arts 1877, 292. 

 Sargus raucus, GEOFFROY ST. HILAIRE, Descr. de 1'Egypte, Poiss., pi. xvm, fig. i, 1813, 



Coast of Egypt. 

 Sargus rondeletii, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vi, 14, pi. 141, 1830, Mediter- 



ranean. 



Sargus vitula, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vi, 48, 1830, Mediterranean. 

 Diplodus sargus, JORDAN & FESLER, I. c., 525, 1893. 



Family CLII. 



(THE PlCARELS.) 



Body oblong or elongate, covered with moderate or small ciliated scales; 

 mouth moderate or small, extremely protractile, the spines of the premax- 

 illaries extending backward to the occiput; teeth small or wanting, all 

 pointed; no incisors or molars; dorsal continuous or divided, the spines 

 very slender; preopercle entire; intestine short, with few pyloric ccsca. 

 Carnivorous shore fishes, chiefly of the Old World. In the form of the 

 mouth they present analogies to the Gerridm, in other regards they closely 

 resemble the Hcemulidce. Genera 4 or 5 ; species about 25. ( Pristipomatida;, 

 b, in part, Gunther, Cat. Fishes, I, 386-396). 



MvENINJE : 



a. Jaws with small teeth; dorsal fin nearly continuous, its rays XI, 11; body com- 

 pressed; scales moderate. SPICARA, 557. 



EMMELICHTHYIN/E : 



aa. Jaws toothless; dorsal fins 2, the spines very slender, 12 to 14 in numher, some 

 of them free; body elongate; lower pharyngeais with cardiform teeth. 



EMMELICHTHYS, 558. 



557. SPICARA, Eafmesque. 



Spicara, RAFINESQUE, Caratteri, etc., 51, 1810 (flexuosa= smarts). 

 Smarts, CUVIER, Regne Animal, Ed. i, 269, 1817 (smaris). 



Body oblong, compressed, covered with moderate or small ciliated scales ; 

 mouth small, extremely protractile, the spines of the maxillaries extending 

 backward to the occiput; vomer without teeth. Dorsal continuous or 

 nearly so, its rays XI, 11, the spines very slender ; preopercle entire ; intes- 

 tine short, with few pyloric coeca ; scales 60 to 70. Shore fishes of the Old 

 World; one of them on doubtful authority ascribed to the West Indies. 

 This genus is chiefly confined to the Mediterranean and neighboring 

 waters. (Spicara, a local name in Sicily, probably from spica, a spike.) 



1741. SPICARA MARTINICA (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



Closely allied to the European species, Spicara smaris, but with the 

 body rounded, compressed, the suborbital narrower and more notched. 

 Color apparently plain, a small black spot on the side. D. XII, 11 ; A. Ill, 

 9. (Cuvier &, Valenciennes.) West Indies. The type of this species, 4 

 inches long, is reputed to have been sent to Paris by Plee, from Martinique. 



