648 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [50] 



This genus contains some six or eight species, closely allied to Rail- 

 cliceres, and scarcely differing from it except in the absence or rudi- 

 mentary condition of the posterior canines. As in Halichceres, there is 

 no sheath at the base of the dorsal. In most of the American species 

 the anterior canines are f as in the American species of Halichccres 

 (subgenus Iclithy callus). The East Indian species have the canines 

 f as in the species of Halichceres found in the same region. Some of 

 the American species of Pseudojulis have the dorsal spines slender and 

 flexible. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF PSEUDOJULIS. 



a. Anterior canines | or f. 

 b. Dorsal spines pungent. 



c. Body rather stout, the depth not less than length of head, 3 to 3| in length ; 

 profile above eye convex; no trace of posterior canine; canines f; 

 caudal fin rounded ; scales before dorsal rather large, in about eight 

 series ; suout rather pointed. 

 d. Depth 2£ in length ; head 3; ventrals rather long, reaching nearly to vent ; 

 the inner rays If in the outer; scales 27. Color, brown, darker at 

 bases of scales; pectorals pale; other fins black; soft dorsal, anal and 

 caudal with white margins, broadest at tip of caudal ; sometimes pale 



wavy lines on head Adustus, 52. 



dd. Depth 3| in length; head 3£ ; ventrals short, the outer ray not nearly 

 twice inner; scales 2-25-8. Color, olive; young with a silvery lateral 

 streak ; back with four or five indistinct broad, dark cross-bands, these 

 forming blotches on the dorsal fin, one of these on the first three soft 

 rays largest and quite black; angles of caudal pale ; ventrals whitish, 

 with a broad black outer margin Notospilus, 53. 



cc. Body rather slender, its depth less than length of head, 4£ in length ; profile 

 above eye nearly straight; head long and slender; snout long; eye 

 small ; caudal subtruncate; ventral short, its outer ray not produced ; 

 posterior canine very weak or wanting, rarely present on both sides; 

 scales before dorsal small, in 10 or 12 series ; scales on breast small ; 

 scales 2-30-8 ; canines slender, f. Color, creamy orange, the back 

 darker; many of the scales of back and upper part of sides each with 

 a vertically oblong dark brown spot ; one of these at upper part of 

 base of caudal more distinct than the others ; a narrow dark bar across 

 base of pectoral ; a horizontal dusky streak through eye and snout; 

 fins plain, pale; male with a vertical blue-black bar behind pectorals, 



much as in Halichccres semieinctus Venustus, 54. 



bb. Dorsal spines slender and flexible. (Oxyjnlis Gill.) 



e. Body elongate, strongly compressed ; the head slender, with sharp snout ; 

 depth, 4-£ in length, less than length of head ; snout, 3 in head ; eye, 

 5 ; anterior canines J, the upper larger and divergent ; posterior can- 

 ine weak or wanting, rarely present on both sides; scales before dor- 

 sal much reduced, in ten or twelve rows, those on breast considerably 

 smaller than those on sides ; caudal truncate; ventrals short, the first 

 ray not twice the length of the inner ray; scales, 28. Color, olive- 

 brown; centers of scales orange-brown; belly cream color; sides of 

 head with alternate streaks of brown and bluish ; a large inky blotch 

 at base of caudal, covering one-third of fin ; membrane of base of spin- 

 ous dorsal largely indigo-blne; fins otherwise pale; lower pharyngeals 

 essentially as in Halichocres, the large teeth more acute. 



Californicus, 55. 



