1618 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



pectoral fin, often wanting or disappearing in spirits ; scales below this area 

 with pearly vertical streaks; color rose red or brownish, with a blue verti- 

 cal streak on each scale; vertical blue streaks on the head, as in other 

 species; males (in life, always) with a dark -red cross shade behind pec- 

 torals, this disappearing in spirits; dorsal immaculate; anal with oblique 

 violaceous streaks; caudal with 6 or 8 dark cross streaks. Head 3 in 

 length; depth 3|; eye small, 5 in head; scales 2-26-8. PSITTACUS, 2029. 

 bb. Scales of sides of body without blue spots; head with but 5 vertical streaks 

 of blue. Color red, the fins nearly plain ; a red axillar band, disappearing 

 inspirits; iris red; caudal truncate ; otherwise as in X.psittacus, of which 

 it is probably a color variety. MODESTUS, 2030. 



2028. XYRICHTHYS MUXDICEPS, Gill. 



Head 3; depth about 3^, the males deeper than females. D. IX, 12; A. 

 Ill, 11 ; scales 2-24-9. Anterior profile of head parabolic ; preorbital very 

 deep, its depth the head; eye near top of head, its diameter not 

 depth of preorbital; anterior profile of the head more or less trenchant; 

 usually a blue vertical bar on each scale. Head in male with blue vertical 

 stripes ; a black ocellus larger than eye at base of caudal, just below lateral 

 line, none on dorsal fin; 3 concentric, blue, curved lines on flap of opercle; 

 3 narrow blue lines across cheek ; a violet vertical line on base of each 

 scale; lower jaw with numerous lines; fins pale, unmarked; female plain 

 light brown, without markings on head or body. A very handsome species 

 known from numerous specimens, the original types and others, collected 

 by Mr. John Xantus at Cape San Lucas; not yet seen elsewhere, (mundus, 

 neat; ceps, head.) 



Xyrichthysmundiceps, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Mus. Sci. Phila. 1862, 143, Cape San Lucas (Coll. 



Xantus) ; JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 367 ; JORDAN, Review Labroid 



Fishes, 660, 1890. 

 Novacula mundiceps, GUNTHER, Cat., iv, 172, 1862. 



2029. XYRICHTHYS PSITTACUS (Limueus). 



(RAZOR-FISH.) 



Head 3| ; depth 3. D. IX, 12 ; A. Ill, 11 ; scales 3-26 or 27-8 ; eye 5 in 

 head, very small and close to the profile; depth of preorbital, from eye to 

 angle of head, 2- 1 i D - in head; length of cheek much less than % its height. 

 Body oblong, very strongly compressed ; profile very steep ; the jaws equal, 

 the canines f ; pectorals reaching past tips of ventrals ; caudal rounded ; a 

 few embedded scales under eye ; lateral line with the tubes simple. Color 

 rose red or brownish, with a blue vertical streak on each scale; vertical 

 blue streaks on the head; side of body with a diffuse silvery area below 

 and behind the pectoral fin, often wanting or disappearing in spirits ; scales 

 below this area with pearly vertical streaks; males (in life, always) with 

 a dark-red cross shade behind pectorals, this disappearing in spirits; dor- 

 sal immaculate; anal with oblique violaceous streaks; caudal with 6 or 8 

 dark cross streaks. West Indies, rather common, north to Pensacola and 

 Charleston, south to Bahia. Length 15 inches; a handsome species, per- 



