Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1843 



rays (except the uppermost one) branched; ventrals reaching beyond 

 vent, the last soft ray attached to the body for f. of its length by a rather 

 broad membrane. Supraocular flap long and slender, longer than orbit, a 

 little more than 3 in head; preocular flap small; flaps at base of spines of 

 preorbital and lower spines of preopercle, small ones on cheeks, mem- 

 brane of spiuous dorsal, and on many of the scales of the body; larger 

 flaps on lateral line and along base of dorsal fin. Scales large, rather 

 smooth, with membranaceous edges; a few rudimentary scales on front and 

 flap of opercle, on preopercle and lower part of cheek; breast with small 

 scales. Color dusky olivaceous or brownish, whitish below ; a few large 

 diffuse dark spots on sides above, nearly as large as eye; the posterior 

 part of each scale darker, giving a slight speckled appearance; axil pale 

 with small dark spots, which are also sparsely present along lower part 

 of sides; pectorals mottled, faintly banded, their lower part paler; spi- 

 nous and soft dorsal and anal irregularly marbled; caudal with median and 

 terminal blackish bands; ventrals dusky at tip; sides of head dark, with 

 some small darker spots; snout, intcrorbital space, and tip of maxillary 

 dark, faintly marbled ; under side of head whitish or marbled with brown- 

 ish; peritoneum white. Atlantic coast, from Charleston to Rio Janeiro. 

 The specimens on which this description is based are from Pensacola, 

 Florida. (brasiUcnsis, from Brazil.) 



Scorpavia brasiliensis, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 305, 1829, Brazil ; 



GUNTHER, Cat., n, 112, I860; JORDAN, Cat. Fish., 109, 1885 ; MEEK & NEWLAND, Proc. Ac. 



Nat . Sci. Phila. 1885, 395, 399. 

 Scorpcena stearnsi, GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 421, Pensacola, Florida 



(Coll. Silas Stearns); JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 614; JORDAN & 



GILBERT, Synopsis, 951, 1883. 



2239. Sl'ORP>ENA HISTRIO, Jenyns. 



Head 2 (2 in total length) ; depth 3 (4 in total length) ; width of head 

 over preopercles 3f; orbit high up, 4 in head. D. XII, 10; A. Ill, 5; P. 

 20; transverse (oblique) rows of scales 25; tubes of lateral line 23 to 25. 

 Body compressed, its width at base of pectorals 2 in head ; caudal peduncle 

 short, its depth a little less than orbit. Head heavy, its depth and width 

 equal. Interorbital space narrow, 2 in orbit, deeply concave, the con- 

 cavity with sloping edges and rounded bottom, and without prominent 

 ridges ; preocular ridges very thick, prominent, with strong, prominent 

 spines; supraocular ridges thin, high, with very blunt spines; postocular 

 spines on rim of orbit, external and posterior to supraoculars ; another 

 small spine on rim of orbit below and a little behind postocular; the bifid 

 spine a little behind middle of posterior margin of orbit, and behind this 

 a small exoccipital spine with a thin prominent ridge ; a pair of sharp 

 "coronal" spines, with small pits in front of them; thin, rather high 

 parietal and nuchal ridges, of about equal length, with blunt spines. 

 Occiput with a pit of moderate depth, itg longitudinal width 1-J in its 

 transverse width, continuous on each side, between " coronal" spine and 

 parietal ridge, with a pit behind superior posterior border of orbit, its 

 anterior side sloping backward, its posterior side nearly vertical, sloping 

 slightly forward between anterior edge of parietal ridges. Nasal spines 



