1628 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



an ally of Sparisoma flavescens. We begin the group with the smallest 

 and most generalized forms, those whose dentition approaches nearest to 

 Cryptotomua and its Labroid ancestors. (dTfdpog, Spams, ancient name of 

 some Sparoid fish ; ti&jua, body. Sparns is said to be from tfTtaipco, I gasp. ) 



SPARISOMA : 

 a. Upper jaw with one or more canines above its cutting edge (these occasionally obso- 



lete on one or both sides) ; coloration often brilliant. 

 b. Caudal truncate or slightly rounded, the angles not acute. 

 c. Posterior canines 2 to 4 on each side. 



d. Caudal fin with more or less of black on posterior margin, yellowish at 

 base; anal light bluish and reddish, its tip dusky; canines strong, 

 4 (rarely 3) on each side; 4 or 5 scales on cheek. Color olive green 

 above, mottled and speckled with red ; snout with blue lines ; a blue 

 band around lower jaw; axil and base of pectoral deep blue-black: 

 fins mostly light orange and yellow XYSTRODON, 2039. 



dd. Caudal fin without black in the adult; 1 or 2 more or less distinct 



whitish bars across the chin. 



e. Canines 3 or 4 on each side, radiating horizontally ; axil with little 



or no blue, but with a dusky blotch partly hidden by the fin ; 



front steeper and less curved than in hoplomystax; body and 



fins mottled, but much less so than in hoplomystax. 



f. Canines 3 on each side; pores of lateral line with but 2 



branches; sides of head much dotted with black; caudal 



barred. ATOMARIUM, 2040. 



ff. Canines 4 on each side; tubes of lateral line much branched; 



a distinct narrow streak of blue downward and forward 



from eye; caudal nearly plain, dusky oliA^e; anal mot 



tied. RADIANS, 2041. 



ee. Canines 2 or 3 on each side; axillary region extensively deep 



blue in life, this forming a large blotch around and on base 



of pectoral ; a curved series of small white specks around 



the blue on base of pectoral ; body deep and robust ; fins all 



mottled, the anal with 3 darker areas ; body with 3 faint pale 



lengthwise streaks, more or less obscure; 2 of these bound 



a more or less interrupted dusky band from eye to base of 



caudal. HOPLOMYSTAX, 2042. 



cc. Posterior canine single on each side; body rather stout. Color grayish 



olive, closely speckled with whitish and dusky; lower half of body 



abruptly paler from level of eye; upper half with a narrow whitish 



stripe confluent with the back from nape to end of dorsal; the part of 



back below this crossed by irregular dusky bars which end abruptly at 



level of eye; lower half with obscure pale lengthwise streaks; a black 



spot as large as pupil on end of opercle ; axil and base of pectoral dark ; 



dorsal gray, throughout mottled with pale and vaguely barred and 



spotted with blackish ; caudal dark olive, with narrow pale cross bars ; 



a broad olive cross bar at base ; anal colored like soft dorsal ; ventral 



faintly barred ; pectoral plain ; chin with 2 broad silvery cross bars, and 



2 irregular bars of dark olive. NIPHOBLES, 2043. 



bb. Caudal fin simply lunate, the outer rays more or less exserted, but not twice as 



long as the inner rays and much shorter than the head; canine single on 



each side (rarely obsolete or duplicated). 



g. Head with a scarlet stripe from below eye to angle of mouth; a small 

 scarlet streak behind eye; color chiefly purplish brown; a round spot 

 of yellow and black behind head, just below lateral line; fins chiefly 

 red ; angles of caudal black ; axillary spot obscure. 



AUROFRENATUM, 2044. 



