620 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



American. Our species represent two well marked subgenera, 

 the extremes of which appear very different from each other so 

 far as the skulls are concerned. Some of the typical species of 

 Spheroides approach Canthig aster in the narrow- 

 ness of the frontal area. 



Subgenus spheroides 



300 Spheroides maculatus (Bloch & Schneider) 



Swellfish; Puff&r 



Tetrodon Mspidus var. maculatus Bloch & Schneidee, Syst. Iclith. 504, 

 1801, Long Island. 



Tetrodon turgidus Mitchill, Trans. Lrit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 473, pi, VI, 

 fig. 5, 1815, New York; Gunther, Oat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 285, 

 1870; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 861, 1883; Bean, 

 Bull. U. S. F. O. VII, 133, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y., 242, 

 1890. 



Tetraodon turgidus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 327, pi. 55, fig. 178, 

 1842. 



Spheroides maculatus Jordan & Edwards, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 232, 

 1886; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 369, 1897; H. M. Smith, 

 Bull. U. S. F. O. 1897, 104, 1898; Jordan & Bvermann, Bull. 47, 

 V. S. Nat. Mus. 1733, pi. COLXIV, fig. 645, 1900; Bean, 52d Ann. 

 Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 108, 1900. 



Body fusiform, thick, its width and depth about equal and 

 one third of total length without the caudal. Head moderately 

 large, three eighths of the length without caudal. Eye small, 

 about two fifths of interorbital width and o-ne ninth as long 

 as the head. Snout long, four sevenths as long as the head. 

 Interorbital space slightly concave; profile not steep, depressed 

 in front of the eyes. Dorsal origin twice as far from middle of 

 eye as from base of middle caudal rays; base of dorsal fin as 

 long as the eye; longest ray one third as long as the head. Anal 

 origin under the end of dorsal base, the fin about equal to 

 dorsal. Caudal convex, the middle rays two fifths as lon^^j as 

 the head. Pectoral deep, but short, its upper rays three eighths 

 as long as the head. Distance of nostrils from front of eye one 

 half their distance from tip of snout. Sides of head and body 

 alw^ays prickly; back prickly from upper lip to base of dorsal; 

 belly prickly from lower lip to vent; prickles all similar, small, 

 mostly three-rooted, stiff and close set, rather largest pos- 



