[61] REVIEW OF THE LABROID FISHES. 659 



the one male the other female. Both were taken with a seine in the surf 

 at Key West. They are now in the U. S. National Museum. The adult 

 will probably be found to approach X. splendens in form and colora- 

 tion, probably having the dorsal lower and the ventrals longer than in 

 the young. 



The young of X. splendens has the caudal barred, while in X. rosipes 

 it is plaiu ; I have noticed no other characters by which the young of 

 the two can be separated. • 



69. XYRICHTHYS SPLENDENS. 



Xyrichthys splendens Castelnau, Anini. Nouv. ou Rares de FAnier. du Sud, 1855, 28, pi. 



5, 2 (Bahia). 

 Xyrichthys argenti-maculata SteindaGhner, Zool. Bot. Gesellsck. Wien, 1861, 134 (Cape 



of Good Hope). 

 Novacula argentimaculata Giinther, iv, 170, 1862 (Brazil). 



Habitat. — Coasts of Brazil and Southern Africa. 



Etymology : Splendens, brilliant. 



We know this species from three specimens taken by the Albatross 

 at Bahia. These agree well with Giinther's description of X. argenti- 

 maculatus, and this is probably the species for which that name was 

 originally intended, although the original type came from the Cape of 

 Good Hope. Its general characters are well represented in the figure 

 of Castelnau, who, however, fails to show the silvery area around the 

 black lateral ocellus. In one young example this black spot is very 

 faint and the coloration is different, the back with darker cross-shades 

 and the vertical fins all barred. In this specimen the first two dorsal 

 spines are somewhat elevated, so as to give considerable resemblance 

 to X. rosipes. 



69b. XYRICHTHYS VENTRALIS. (Plate VII, Fig. 1.) 



Xyrichthys ventralis Bean, Bull. U. S. Fish Com., 1888,193, pi. 29, f. 1 (Cozuniel). 



Habitat. — West Indian fauna. 



Etymology : Ventralis, pertaining to the belly, from the long ventrals. 



This species is known from two examples taken by Dr. Bean at Co- 

 zumel Island, Yucatan. It is closely related to X. splendens and to X. 

 rosipes, and may prove to be the adult of the latter. 



70. XYRICHTHYS MARTINICENSIS. 



Xyrichthys martinicensis Cuv. & Val., xiv, 49, 1839 (Martinique) ; Jordan, Proc. U. S. 



Nat. Mus., 1886, 541 (note on type). 

 Novacula martinicensis Giinther, iv, 171, 1862. 



Xyrichthys vitta Cuv. <fc Val., xiv, 51, 1839 (no locality) ; Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., 1886, 541 (note on type). 



Habitat. — West Indies. 



Etymology : Martinicensis, living in Martinique. 



Of this species we have examined the original types of martinicensis 

 and vitta in the museum at Paris. The two are not evidently different, 

 although they are not in very good condition for comparison. The 

 characters of this species are yet to be made out from fresh specimens. 



