Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2165 



broadly rounded, its tip, as usual, emarginate, its edge with fine serraB 

 directed backward, but no spines ; surfaces of bones of the head covered 

 with fine, sharply defined strite, but with none of the small granulations 

 which are found in P. strigatus and other species. Mouth rather wide, 

 the maxillary reaching nearly to front of eye, the mandible quite to front 

 of eye; maxillary 2 in head; band of palatine teeth of moderate length, 

 as long as eye. Eye large, placed high; upper part of eye with a fleshy 

 cirrus rather enlarged toward the tip and fringed, this resembling the 

 cirri in Scorpwna, its length about -J- that of the eye; interorbital area 

 very narrow and very deeply concave, its least width little more than -J- 

 the length of the head and not the length of the eye; depth of inter- 

 orbital area nearly length of eye; bone forming anterior portion of 

 orbital rim very prominent, forming a strongly striated crest, each of the 

 strho ending in a projecting point or spinule; upper portion of orbital rim 

 prominent, even, ending behind the eye in a sharp backward-directed 

 spine, behind which is a short cross groove, which does not extend across 

 the top of the head ; distance from the base of this spine to the scales on 

 nape very short, not more than -j- the length of the eye; both pairs of 

 occipital spines distinct, the outer and larger ones extending to opposite 

 front of dorsal ; a small spine on temporal region in front of outer pair of 

 spines ; preopercle with a single moderate spine at the end of a long ridge; 

 no smaller spine at its base; opercle strongly striate, with 2 strong spines, 

 of which the upper one is proportionately larger than usual; a single, 

 rather strong humeral spine; membranaceous flap of opercle scaly. Gill 

 rakers very short and thick, about 9 developed, these not i longer than 

 the interspaces, and not length of eye; they are about -- as broad as 

 hi oli, thus having a form very different from that seen in P. evolans, P. 

 strigatus, P. tribulus, etc. Scales rather large, the scales on the back little 

 reduced in size, about 10 between occiput and dorsal fin (17 in P. stri- 

 gatus}. Dorsal spines high and rather slender, the first rather the high- 

 est, its length 1| in head, its anterior margin not granulated; soft dorsal 

 rather high, its longest ray 2 in head; caudal 1 in head; longest anal ray 

 2^ in head; pectorals rather long, extending nearly to last rays of dorsal, 

 their length almost twice head; detached rays moderate, the uppermost 

 or longest 1 i 11 head ; ventrals 1^ in head. Coloration largely faded in 

 the typical example ; deep crimson in life ; pale below ; caudal with 2 dark 

 cross bands; pectorals dusky, the free rays with dusky spots; ventrals 

 pale, with some dusky bands; head nearly plain, the cirri dark. A sec- 

 ond specimen, in very bad condition, has since been obtained by us from 

 the same source. In this the undigested parts of the head and body are 

 of a deep crimson. Probably all the deep-water species of this genus will 

 be found to be red in life. Gulf of Mexico, in deep water; known only 

 from the Snapper Banks, near Pensacola. Described from the original 

 type, I-} inches long, taken from the stomach of a Red Snapper (Neomamis 

 aya], from the Pensacola Snapper Banks, by Mr. Silas Stearns, (o^pva^, 

 having projecting eyebrows.) 



Prionotus ophryas, JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1884, 542, Snapper Banks off 

 Pensacola (Type, No. 36944. Coll. Silas Stearns) ; JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N, Am., 115, 1885 ; 

 JORDAN & HUGHES. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1886, 334. 



