1634 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



2044. SPABISOMA AUROFKENATUM (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



Head 3 (4 with caudal); depth 2f (3|). D. IX, 10; A. II, 9; scales 

 2|-24-6. Body elliptical-oblong ; eye rather large, 4| in head ; snout not 

 blunt, 1$ in head ; cheek with a single row of 4 or 5 large scales ; 4 scales 

 on median line before dorsal ; 3 before ventrals ; pores of lateral line much 

 branched, covering most of the scales. Pectoral reaching well past tips 

 of ventrals; caudal fin moderately lunate, the upper lobe the longer, If in 

 head, \\ times length of middle rays. Teeth less distinct than usual in 

 this type, the edge of the upper jaw nearly entire, the edge of the lower 

 jaw more uneven. A small canine in front of the angle of the mouth on 

 each side (this obsolete on both sides of 1 of the 3 specimens examined). 

 A small canine near suture of upper jaw on both sides usually present; 

 upper lip covering more than of upper jaw. Color in life, purplish 

 brown, becoming reddish on sides, and finally livid greenish below ; head 

 purplish-violet about eyes; sides of head with a stripe of vivid scarlet 

 running from corner of mouth just below and slightly past eye, a second 

 short streak of the same color above the first behind the eye; jaws pale 

 in color; a golden-orange spot rather smaller than eye on and below the 

 fifth scale of the lateral line, its upper portion black; dorsal orange, slaty 

 at base posteriorly; caudal scarlet at base, then blood red, yellowish 

 in the center, whitish behind, the projecting tips of both lobes black, 

 the whole fin faintly mottled and barred with dusky ; anal crimson, its 

 edge light blue ; ventrals livid purplish ; pectorals light yellowish, bluish 

 in axil, dusky at base in front. In spirits the orange and red colors fade 

 to light yellowish; a more or less distinct dark stripe on each row of scales 

 below the lateral line, paler on lower rows; pale greenish about eyes; 

 dusky on snout above ; edge of scales on body above, and on sides more 

 or less dusky. Length of example described from Havana, 8 inches. 

 West Indies ; rather common at Havana. Others examined are from Cuba, 

 Sombrero, St. Thomas, and St. Lucia. In color it is one of the most strongly 

 marked and handsomest species, (aurum, gold; frcenatus, bridled; in 

 allusion to the scarlet band .backward from the mouth, which is vermil- 

 ion rather than golden, for which reason Poey has substituted the name 

 miniofrenatus. ) 



Scarus aurofrenatus, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xiv, 191, 1839, San 

 Domingo (Coll. Ricord) ; GUNTHER, Cat., iv, 212; GUICHENOT, Scarides, Mus. Paris, 

 13, 1865; COPE, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc. 1871, 461. 



Scarus miniofrenatus, POEY, Memorias, n, 279, 393, 1860, Cuba. 



Sparisoma aurofrenatum, JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. "U. S. Nat. Mus. 1884, 96; JORDAN, 

 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1886, 47; JORDAN, Review Labroid Fishes, 675, 1890. 



2045. SPARISOMA OXYBRACHIUM (Poey). 



Head nearly 4; depth 3; eye 4 in head, If in snout, 1 in distance to 

 mouth. A small posterior canine on the right side; lower jaw roughest; 

 line of belly less curved than in S. distinctum; scales of lateral line with 

 3 branches. Caudal truncate; pectoral sharp-pointed and very long, 5 in 

 total (6 in S. distinctum}.. Color brownish, without longitudinal streaks, 

 base of scales darker; lower parts yellowish, reddish in life; fins yellow- 



