2166 Bidletin //, United States National Museum. 



2494. PRIONOTUS STEABJVSI, Jordan & Swain. 



Adult example: Head 2f in length (3 with caudal) ; depth 4 (5J) ; eye 

 5 in head. D. VIII or IX-12; A. 12; scales in transverse series about 50; 

 pores in lateral line about 52 ; length of specimen, 14^ inches. Body rather 

 robust, formed much as in P. tribulus; width of nape between occipital 

 spines not quite length of head; head very large, broad, and unusually 

 smooth, the profile, except for the prominence of the orbital region, form- 

 ing a very gentle and somewhat regular arch ; snout very broad, truncate 

 at tip, its breadth at tip 3 in head, its length 2|; edge of snout granular, 

 without spines. Surface of all bones of head very finely, evenly, and 

 regularly striated, the striae much finer than in P. tribulus, their granula- 

 tions all minute. Mouth wide, the maxillary reaching front of eye, its 

 length about 2| in head. Band of palatine teeth well developed. Eye 

 large, placed high; no cirri; interorbital space about as in P. tribulus, 

 rather broad and moderately concave, wider than the eye, and about 5 in 

 head. Bone at anterior portion of orbital rim very prominent, serrulate, 

 its principal ridge ending in a stout, blunt spine; supraorbital rim little 

 prominent and without spine ; no cross groove on top of head ; a slight, 

 blnntish spine behind eye ; no spines on temporal ridge ; outer pair of 

 occipital spines short, strong, compressed, not quite reaching front of dor- 

 sal; inner pair and their ridges obsolete; opercular and preopercular 

 spines short, the latter with no smaller one at its base ; upper opercular 

 spine very weak ; humeral spine moderate; membranaceous flap of opercle 

 with about 5 rows of scales; no spine on cheek bone. Gill rakers short 

 and few, little longer than in P. ophryas, the longest about $ interorbital 

 width, about ^ longer than the interspaces, and perhaps 5 times as high 

 as broad; about 9 gill rakers developed. Scales comparatively large, 

 those on the back little reduced in size, about 10 before dorsal fin ; 7 scales 

 in a vertical row from first ray of soft dorsal to lateral line. Dorsal fins 

 rather low and strong (the first injured), with its anterior margin not 

 granulated; the third 2f in head; soft dorsal moderate, its longest ray 3 

 in head; caudal very slightly concave, its longest rays If in head. Pec- 

 toral fins rather short, reaching third ray of anal, 2| in body, their length 

 little more than length of head; detached rays tapering, a little more 

 than \ head; ventrals about reaching vent, ! in head. Color in alcohol, 

 nearly plain brownish olive, with dark shades at the bases of many of 

 the scales, giving a mottled appearance; head everywhere conspicuously 

 reticulate with blackish, in fine pattern ; pectoral fin dusky, with a net- 

 work of fine black cross streaks; dorsals similarly marked, the spinous 

 dorsal with a diffuse black blotch between the fourth and sixth spines ; 

 caudal plain, slightly dusky ; anal and ventrals pale ; pectoral filaments 

 nearly so. In the young the body is more slender, the snout less 

 broad, with a slightly emarginate tip, eye larger, 4f in head ; no spine or 

 groove behind the eye; gill rakers more slender, about 13 in number. 

 Gulf of Mexico; in deep water. Known from 2 specimens, both taken on 

 the Snapper Banks, off Pensacola, by Mr. Silas Stearns. The original 

 type is a small specimen, not 4 inches long. The other is very hirge, about 

 13 inches long, larger than any other specimen of Prionotus which we have 



