SPAROID FISHES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. 447 
13. LUTJANUS AYA. 
(Red Snapper; Pargo Colorado; Pargo Guachinango. ) 
-Acara aya Marcgrave, Hist. Brasil., 167, 168, 1648. 
Bodianus aya Bloch, Ichthyol., taf. 227, 1790 (based on Marcgrave); Lacépede, Iv, 
286, 287, 1803 (copied). 
Lutjanus aya, Goode, Bull. U. 8. N. M., v, 1876, 55 (Bermudas); Jordan, Man. Vert., 
ed. 5, 1888, 139. 
Bodianus ruber Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichthy., 1801, 330 (based on Maregrayve). 
Lutjanus vivanus, Jordan & Swain, |. ¢., 453 (not type). 
Mesoprion campechanus Poey, Mem., 11, 149, 1860 (Cuba). 
Lutjanus campechianus Poey, Syn., 294, 1868 (Cuba); Poey, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 
317, 1870 (Cuba); Poey, Enumeratio, 29,1875 (Cuba); Poey, Bull. U.S. F.C 
1882, 118 (Key West); Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 1883, 921(copied) ; 
Jordan, Proc. U. 8. N. M. 1884, 125 (Key West). 
Lutjanus blackfordi Goode & Bean, Proc. U. 8. N. M. 1878, 176 (Pensacola); Goode, 
Proc. U.S. N. M. 1879, 114 (St. Johns River); Goode & Bean, op. cit., 1879, 
137, 156 (Pensacola); Bean, op. cit., 1880, 96; Goode & Bean, op. cit., 1882, 
238; Jordan & Gilbert, op. cit., 1882, 275 (Pensacola) ; endian & Gilbe rt, 
Syn. Fish. N. A., 1883, 549; and of Goode & Bean and recent American 
writers gener ‘aly. : 
Habitat: Long Island to Brazil; especially abundant in the Gulf of 
Mexico. 
Etymology: From the Portuguese name, Acara aya. 
This species, the most valuable food-fish of the genus in the waters 
of the United States, is very abundant in rather deep water in’ rocky 
places around the Florida coast. At Pensacola it is taken in great 
numbers. It is one of the most important food-fishes of our southern 
coasts. About Key West it is also taken in large numbers, but only 
in the deep waters, and it is taken thence alive in the wells of the 
fishing smacks to the markets of Havana. On the American ‘coast it 
is known everywhere as “red snapper,” or to the Spaniards as pargo 
colorado. In Havana it bears the name of pargo guachinango, ‘ Mexi- 
can snapper,” because itis brought to that city from the Mexican coast. 
According to Poey it is comparatively rare in Cuban waters, although 
daily seen in the markets. Specimens are in the museum at Cambridge, 
from Rio Janeiro; these seem to be entirely similar to the red snapper 
of our markets; in some of these the stomach is wrong side out, indi- 
cating that they came from deep water. 
The synonymy is somewhat complicated, and some doubt exists as to 
the proper specific name. We identify the names aya and ruber, based 
on the Acara aya of Maregrave, as belonging to the common red snap- 
per. This is said to be a red Lutjanus, 35 feet in length, and with a 
red circle around its iris; itis therefore far more likely to have been 
this species than the small Lutjanus vivanus, with which it has been 
identified. by Cuvier. As this species occurs on the Brazilian coast, 
and as it corresponds to Marcgrave’s and Bloch’s descriptions, there is 
notmuch doubt as to its identity, the more so as it is probable that all 
the large Lutjani of our waters are now known, 
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