1600 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



anal orange and yellow, with blue spots; caudal with convergent bands 

 of orange forming reticulations around blue spots. 



Another specimen is described as follows : 



Head 3; depth 4. D. IX, 11; A. Ill, 12; scales 2-25-6. Body very 

 slender, compressed, the snout rather pointed, 3$- in head; eye moderate, 

 5 in head. Posterior canine large. Dorsal spines low, rather slender, 

 but pungent, lower than the soft rays; caudal fin convex, its 2 outer- 

 most rays somewhat produced; pectoral If in length of head; scales on 

 breast small; head naked. Color, when fresh, olivaceous above; a row of 

 round sky-blue spots along each side of back ; a broad band-like area of 

 orange intermingled with violet spots along sides from lateral line about 

 to level of eye, extending backward about to middle of body, the lower 

 edge of the orange band serrate; below the orange a band pale violet, 

 becoming posteriorly deep violet; still lower on level of lower edge of 

 pectoral a deep yellow band about as wide as a scale, growing narrower 

 and fainter behind; belly pearly; head above olivaceous, marked with 

 blue; preorbital and suborbital region scarlet, with 3 violet-blue stripes, 

 these margined with cherry red; cheeks below lowest violet stripe 

 translucent yellowish; opercles bright red, with about 3 oblique violet 

 stripes, the upper forming an oblique blotch behind eye, in the middle of 

 which is a round black ink-like spot ; no dark opercular spot ; chin pearly ; 

 iris red; dorsal light orange, the soft part with 3 rows of violet spots; 

 caudal orange, with 4 rows of spots, the orange arranged in 1 longitudinal, 

 2 marginal, and 2 convergent orange bands, which are connected by reticu- 

 lations around blue spots; anal with a basal orange spot on each mem- 

 brane, then a blue spot, then a broad yellow band, then a narrow blue 

 band, and a terminal band of orange ; ventrals light red ; pectorals pale 

 violet, yellow at base, a bluish oblique band below them; blue spots of 

 head and posterior parts clear, sky blue; elsewhere of a violet shade and 

 less bright. 



West Indies, north to the Snapper Banks, off Pensacola. 



This species is known to us from a number of specimens, all taken from 

 stomachs of Groupers and Snappers on the Snapper Banks, between Pen- 

 sacbla and Tampa. We identify our specimens with the pictus of Poey, 

 although while agreeing in the coloration of the head and in the form of 

 the tail, they differ in some details. In pictus, according to Poey, the body 

 is more slender, the depth 5| in total length, the eye 2 diameters from the 

 corner of the mouth. Color blue above; in front of middle of body the 

 sides blood red, darker on the head; behind the middle the body is olive 

 green; blue bauds on the head; scales each with a bluish crescent; caudal 

 with 3 orange bands which converge behind; dorsal and anal orange, the 

 latter with 2 blue lines. It is probable, however, that Julis pictits is iden- 

 tical with our specimens, and perhaps caudalis is the female of the same, 

 lacking the red shades on anterior half of body, (pictus, painted.) 

 Julis pictus, POEY, Memorias, n, 214, 1861, Havana. 

 Platyglossus pictus, GUNTHER, Cat., iv, 166, 1862. 

 Platyglossus caudalis, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 286 ; JORDAN, I. c., 1884, 



37; JORDAN & HUGHES, I. c., 1886, 64 ; not of POKY. 

 Halichceres caudalis, JORDAN, Review Labi-old Fishes, 647, 1890; probably not of POEY. 



