55 



LUTJANUS AYA, {Block) Gill. 



Yelting; Glass-eyed Snapper. 



Acara aya, Marcgrave, Hist. &c. Brasil, 1648, 167. 



Bodianus aya, Bloch Ichth. 1797, 33, tab. ccxxvii (on a figure by Prince Maurice). — 



Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv, 1803, 286. 

 Mesoprion aya, Cuv. & Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss. ii, 1829, 457. — ? Guichenot, Sagra's Hist. 



Nat. Cuba, Poiss. 1845, 24.— Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. i, 1861, 198. 

 Luijamis aya, Gill, MS. 

 Bodianus ruber, Schneider, Bloch, Syst. Nat. ed. 1801, 330. 



Common. It probably breeds, as individuals of all ages occur; the 

 largest weigh ten pounds or more, and are much esteemed as food. Its 

 abrupt profile and large eyes give it a very sparoid appearance; to the 

 latter feature it no doubt owes one of its popular names, a similar epi- 

 thet being applied to the large-eyed Stlzostedium amsricanum, the Wall- 

 eyed or Glass-eyed Pike of the great lakes and the Mississippi Valley. 

 The name "Yelting" is very puzzling. 



Color. — Brilliant rose-red, fading in spirits to grayish-olive, with black 

 blotch along the base of the soft dorsal ; base of pectoral deep black.* 



The species is peculiarly West Indian. Large specimens are some- 

 times brought in winter to the Washington market, in lots from Florida. 



The Schoolmaster Snapper and Silk Snapper of the fishermen prob- 

 ably belong to this genus. The Spot Snapper and the Yellow-tail cor- 

 respond doubtless to Mesoprion uninotatus (Cuv. & Val.) Gill, and to 

 Ocyurus chrysurus (Bl.) Gill. Lutjanus cynodon (Cuv.) Gill probably also 

 occurs. All these species are peculiarly West Indian. 



SERRAMDA 



TRISOTROPIS UKDULOSUS, {Cuvicr) Gill. 



ROCK-FISH. 



Perca marina venenosa punctata (Rock-fish), Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, Florida, aud 

 Bahamas, ii, 1743, 15, tab. xv.— Cuv. & Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss. ii, 1829, 386. 



Serraniis undulosus, Cuv. & Val., op. cit. 295.— Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. i, 1861, 

 143. 



Trisotropis undulosus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1865, 105. 



Serranus orunneus, Poey, Mem. Hist. Nat. Cuba ii, 1860, 1314. 



* Dr. Gunther, in the " Synopsis of the Species", which serves as a key to tbe genus 

 places this and the preceding species under the head " aa. Ground-color olive, with a 

 yellow, green, or brown shade." This is certainly very apt to mislead, and illustrates the 

 difficulty of drawing correct ideas from the study of distorted and discolored museum- 

 specimens. 



