1844 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



strong, nearly vertical. Preorbital very wide, without prominent ridges, 

 its inferior border lobate, with 2 or 3 small spines; no pit under orbit, but 

 a broad shallow depression under whole length of orbit ; suborbital ridge 

 quite far from eye, equidistant from lower edge of eye and upper edge of 

 maxillary, its carina composed of 3 or 4 minor ridges, each beginning 

 above the one in front of it and ending below the one behind it; a single 

 small spine at posterior end of last ridge. Uppermost preopercular spine 

 longest, a little below the line of suborbital ridge, with a small spine 

 above its base in line with the ridge; the second, third, and fourth spines 

 successively smaller, the fifth obsolete. Opercle with 2 somewhat diverg- 

 ing flat ridges, ending in strong spines; 3 thin, sharp, plate-like ridges on 

 shoulder; first 2 scales of lateral line with bony keels. Mouth very large, 

 nearly horizontal, wholly below inferior edge of orbit; maxillary reach- 

 ing beyond posterior edge of orbit, very slightly more than 2 (2-^) in 

 head; jaws equal, the lower without prominent symphyseal knob; broad 

 bands of teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Pseudobranchise large, 

 reaching down nearly to epihyal bone; gill rakers very short, broad, with 

 many minute spines, about 12 in all, about 8 developed and 3 or 4 rudi- 

 ments. Scales moderate, mostly cycloid (or very weakly ctenoid) ; ver- 

 tex, interorbital space, snout, cheeks above suborbital ridge, and both 

 jaws naked; smaller, embedded scales behind orbit, on base and flap of 

 opercle, and below suborbital stay; breast scaly. Anterior nostril with 

 laciniate flaps. Supraocular flaps minute; numerous flaps on sides of 

 body and preopercle, preorbital, and under lower jaw; a few minute ones 

 on sides of head. A very broad continuous flap, width about 1^ in orbit, 

 above base of pectoral, parallel with edge of opercle. Origin of dorsal 

 opposite upper angle of gill opening, not deeply notched, the spines only 

 moderately exserted; third and fourth spines equal, longest twice as long 

 as first, about 2| in head, the following spines gradually and slightly 

 decreasing to the eleventh, which is a very little longer than first; longest 

 soft rays about equal to longest spine; caudal truncate, ly in head; 

 second anal spine a little longer than third, about 2f in head; soft rays a 

 little longer than second spine, reaching base of caudal; pectoral 3 in 

 length of body, reaching nearly to origin of anal, the base procurrent, its 

 width 3 in head, the 11 or 12 lower rays a little thickened, simple, hardly 

 at all exserted, the next 8 or 9 rays much longer, branched, the upper- 

 most one simple; ventrals reaching a little beyond vent, 2 in head. 

 Color in alcohol: Top of head and sides dark brown with a slight wash of 

 cherry red, belly white; cheeks under eyes mottled with light and dark; 

 3 to 5 small dark bands or spots between orbit and suborbital stay; soft 

 dorsal dark; membrane of spiuous dorsal and base of soft dorsal strongly 

 washed with cherry red; a similar spot on opercular flap; some of the 

 flaps of the sides of same color, others white; pectorals with 3 dark 

 bars alternating with lighter, the axils cloudy; caudal with 2 broad 

 dark bars, the lighter bands much mottled with white; posterior part of 

 sides with several white spots; a narrow black band across top of 

 peduncle just in front of caudal;* peritoneum white. Length 9 inches. 



* -ther paler, with 



