1454 Bulletin //, United States National Museum. 



rakers 5 -|- 7, shorter than the diameter of the pupil; longest dorsal spine 

 2| in head; second anal spine If in the longest ray, 3 in head; pectorals 

 as long as ventrals, 2 in head; scales of the breast embedded, cycloid; 

 soft dorsal scaleless; caudal fin slightly concave, about % as long as 

 head. Color grayish silvery, iridescent; often washed with coppery red; 

 each scale with a center of dark points, these forming rather obscure, 

 irregular, undulating brown stripes along the rows of scales; a jet-black 

 ocellated spot about as large as eye at base of caudal above, this some- 

 times duplicated ; the body occasionally covered with ocelli. Length 2 

 to 5 feet; the weight 10 to 75 pounds. South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of 

 the United States, New York to Texas; very common along our coast, 

 especially southward, where it is one of the largest and most important 

 food-fishes. On the Texas coast it exceeds in economic value all other 

 fishes found there, (ocellatm, having eye-like spots.) 



Perca ocellata, LINN.EUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. xn, 483, 1766, South Carolina. 



Lutjanus ttiangulum, LACPDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 181 and 216, pi. 24, fig. 3, 1802, 



Sumatra. 



Scicena imberbis, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. New York 1815, 411, New York. 

 Corvina ocellata, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 134, pi. 108, 1830. 

 Johnius ocellatus, GIRARD, U. S. & Mex. Bound. Survey, 14, pi. 8, figs. 1-4, 1859. 

 Scicena ocellata, GUNTHER, Cat., n, 289, I860; JORDAN & EIGENMANN, I. c., 405, pi. 4, 1889. 



584. SCICENA* (Artedi) Linnasus. 

 (BLACK DRUMS.) 



Scicena, part, ARTEDI, Genera Piscinm 1738. 



Scicena, LINN^US, Systema Naturae, Ed. x, 289, 1758 (umbra; cirrosa). 



*It is very difficult to draw generic distinctions in this part of the group of Scicenidce 

 It is likewise unsatisfactory not to attempt to draw them, as large groups scarcely admit 

 of definition. We have decided to admit provisionally as genera the minor groups of 

 Scicenidce with long gill rakers, allied to Stellifer and Bairdiella. Among those with 

 short gill rakers, we have chosen to recognize Ophioscion, Scicenops, and Pseudoscicena, 

 referring the rest to one genus Scicena, a heterogeneous group which runs close to 

 Ophioscion on the one hand, and diverges far from it on the other. Jordan and Eigenmann 

 observe: We are compelled to place in a single genus the great bulk of those Scicenidce 

 which have short gill rakers, inferior mouth, and no barbels on the lower jaw. In spite 

 of the marked differences between the extremes of the series, the intergradation in char- 

 acters is so perfect that we are unable to draw any sharp distinctive lines among them. 

 This is especially true when the Asiatic species, forming the groups called Sola and 

 Johnius, are taken into account. It is also true that one of the species of Bairdiella 

 (chrysoleuca) is very close to some of the members of the present group. In this case, 

 however, there is really one difference the length of the gill rakers, which, though small, 

 is constant, and holds good in all the known species. 



With a view to the discovery of a basis for generic subdivision, we have especially 

 compared the following species: Sciceiia (Scicenops) ocellata, Scicena (Pseudoscicena) 

 aquila, Scicena (Bola) diacantha, and Scicena (Gallaus) deliciosa. If these species could 

 be satisfactorily arranged in different genera, it would be comparatively easy to find 

 characters on which to detach the rather more aberrant types of Scicena (umbra), 

 Cheilotrema (saturna and fasciata), Ophioscion, and Johnius. 



The 4 species first mentioned agree in the position of the anal fin. Its second spine is 

 very weak in aquila, and adnate to the first ray. It is somewhat so in the others, and 

 it is not large in any. In Johnius (dussumieri) it is also small, but in Scicena, Cheilotrema, 

 and Ophioscion it is considerably enlarged. 



The scales are smallest in aquila, largest in ocellata, but the difference is not sharp 

 enough to warrant generic division. In all 4 of the species first mentioned the pre- 

 orbital is flat and rather broad, broadest in deliciosa (7 in head) and narrowest in aquila 

 (104). I Q the other forms it is generally still broader and more gibbous. 



The slits and pores about the snout are distinct in ocellata and deliciosa, little marked 

 in diacantha and nearly Or quite obsolete in aquila. In Johnius, Scicena, Cheilotrema and 

 Ophioscion these are more or less distinct. 



In all the 4 species the mouth is of moderate size, slightly oblique, with the lower jaw 

 included, the maxillary reaching to opposite the posterior border of the eye. The mouth 

 is largest in ocellata, smallest in aquila. In all the others (Ophioscion, etc.) the mouth is 



