276 



FISHES OF NORTH CAEOLINA. 



fin; a jet-black blotch on top of caudal peduncle; a dark stripe through eye and snout, another 

 on median line of snout, which divides opposite eyes and extends backward to occiput; lower 

 parts of head orange; a ring of small black spots around eye; edge of dorsals, anal, caudal, and 

 ventrals yellow; pectorals light orange; ventrals blackish, {striatus, striped.) 



A specimen 4.25 inches long, taken in Beaufort harbor in the summer of 1903, 

 is probably referable to this species, although it may be one of several other 

 species of which the young are not well known. This is a large West Indian 

 species, common at Key West, and must occur only as a straggler in North 

 Carolina. 



241. EPINEPHELUS MORIO (Ouvier & Valenciennes'). 

 Red Grouper. 



Seiranua moj;io Cuvier & Valenciennes, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, ii, 285, 1828; New York and San 



Domingo, 

 Epinephdua morio, Yarrow, 1877, 211; Beaufort, Jordan, 1886, 27; Beaufort. Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 



1160, pi. olxxxiv, fig. 485. 



Diagnosis. — Form comparatively deep, depth contained 2.8 times in length; head large, 

 .4 length of body; mouth large, maxillary extending beyond eye; jaw teeth in narrow bands, 

 2 small canines in front of each jaw, the- lower pair smaller; eye rather large; nostrils small, of 

 equal size; preopercle serrate, teeth at angle slightly enlarged; gill-rakers slender, 15 on lower 

 arm of first arch; scales in lateral series 130 to 140, in transverse series 75 to 80; dorsal rays 

 xi,16 or xi,17, the spines high, second twice length of first; anal rays iii,8 or iii,9, second spine 

 stronger than third; ventrals short, not extending to vent; pectorals more than .5 length of 

 head, reaching beyond tips of ventrals. Color: olive gray or brown, with paler clouds; head 

 and breast salmon color; head with numerous small, round, brown dots; vertical fins of samfe 

 color as body; a broad ridge of black on soft dorsal, anal, and caudal, with narrow white edge; 

 spinous dorsal black-edged; ventrals dusky; pectorals greenish, (morio, Moor.) 



Fig. 121. Red Gboupek. Epinephelus morio. 



This large and excellent grouper is an abundant inhabitant of the American 

 coast from Brazil to Florida, and regularly extends its range for some distance 

 north along the South Atlantic coast. It occurs as a straggler as far as Massa- 

 chusetts, where the present writer has found it on several occasions in summer. 

 Although Yarrow saw only one specimen at Beaufort, the species is probably to 

 be found there every year. One specimen was taken in the laboratory seine in 



