30 



UNITED STATES AND MEXICAN BOUNDARY. 



Family SCOMBEMSOCIDAE. 



BELONE SCRUTATOR, Grd. 



Plate XIII. 



Spec. Char. — Lower jaw longer than the upper ; head constituting about the third of the total length. Middle region of 

 cranium depressed and covered with scales ; the gill covers, the branchial apparatus, cheeks and base of lower jaw are scaly. Eye 

 large, sub-elliptical ; its longitudinal diameter entering about twelve times in the length of the side of the head, eight times in 

 advance of the orbit, and thrice posteriorly. The anal fin is larger than the dorsal ; the caudal is sub-crescentic upon its pos- 

 terior margin, its lobes being sub-equal. 



The anterior portion of both the dorsal and anal fins is protected with small scales. The scales 

 which cover the body are of moderate development, longer than deep, irregularly elliptical, ex- 

 hibiting distant concentric striae but no radiating furrows. 



Br. XIII: XIII; D 15; A 18; C 4, 1, 1, 6, 1, 3; V6; P 13. 



The upper region is greyish dive, the sides silvery with a dark narrow band of a metallic 



lustre, whilst the inferior region is yellowish olive. The fins being unicolor, of a greyish or 

 yellowish olive, also. 



Plate XIII, fig. 1, represents Belone scrutator, size of life; fig. 2 being a dorsal scale; fig. 



3, a scale from the lateral line; and, fig. 4, a scale from the abdominal region. 



List of specimens. 



Catal. \So. of Asre 



No. 



833 

 834 



Spec. 



Locality 



When 

 collected 



2 



Adult. 

 Young. 



Brazos, Texas 



St. Joseph's Island, Texas. 



1853 

 1853 



Whence obtained. 



Nature of 

 Specimens. 



Collected by 



Major Emory Alcoholic. 



G. Wlirdemann do. . . 



John H. Clark 



G. Wlirdemann 



Char 



Family LABBIDAE. 

 HERICHTHYS, B. & G. 



Body compressed, sub-elliptical in its outline. Teeth small, sub-conical, simple, exterior row most conspicuous; 

 lower lip entire. Branchiostegal rays five in number. Ventrals, dorsal, and anal fins acuminated; caudal rounded off poste- 

 riorly. Five or six spiny rays to the anal. Scales very large, ctenoid in structure; lateral line interrupted. 



Syx. —Herichthys, B. & G. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. VII, 1854, 25. 



This genus is allied to Heros of Heckel, from which it differs in the structure of the exterior 

 row of maxillar teeth which are simple instead of exhibiting lateral hooks. 



HERICHTHYS CYANO-GUTTATUS, B. & Qt. 



Plate IV, Figs. 9—12. 



Spec. Char.— The head constitutes about two sevenths of the total length. The snout is sub-conical, the frontal line 

 depressed in advance of the eyes. Jaws even; three irregular rows of minute teeth placed immediately behind an anterior and 

 more conspicuous row. Eyes well developed and circular ; their diameter entering about four times and a half in the length of 

 the side of the head. Posterior portion of the cheeks scaly ; large scales on the opercular apparatus. Anterior margin of 

 dorsal fin situated in advance of the insertion of the ventrals ; the tip of its posterior rays projecting somewhat beyond those of 

 the anal ; both those of the anal and dorsal project beyond the base of the caudal in adult specimens. The insertion of the 

 ventrals takes place backwards of the base of the pectorals ; the exterior soft ray being much longer than the others. The 

 caudal fin constitutes about two-ninths of the entire length. 



Stn. 



-guttatus 



The scales are very large, deeper than long; nineteen to twenty longitudinal series may be 

 counted across the line of greatest depth. The lateral line is composed of twenty-six scales, 



