56 



Trisotropis Irunneus, Gill, 1. c— Poey, Rep. Fis.-Nat. Cuba, ii, 1868, 156, C34 ; Annals 



Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. ix, 1870, 305. 

 Serranus arara, Poey (not Cuv. & Val.), Mem. ii, 1880, 132. 

 Serranus decimalis, Poey, Mem. ii, 1860, 138. 



Serranus cydopomatus, Poey, Mem. ii, 1861, 353 ; Rep. ii, 1868, '284. 

 Serranus latepietus, Poey, Mem. ii, 1861, 353. 



Very common ; recorded also from the West Indies and the coast of 

 Brazil. The Rock-fish attaius the length of four or five feet, and is one 

 of the choicest of table-fishes, though Catesby declares that his "Rock- 

 fish", which seems most probably the same, "has the worst character 

 for its poisonous quality of any other among the Bahama Islands". 



Color. — Brown, thickly mottled with large, irregularly quadrilateral 

 spots of brownish-violet. The sides of the head are marked with wavy, 

 irregular lines of deep violet. Dorsal broadly margiued with black ; 

 caudal, anal, and ventral tipped with deep black, which gradually 

 shades into the color of the body ; pectorals tipped with orange. 



It may be regarded as somewhat doubtful whether the species of 

 Cuvier is identical with that whose diagnosis is given by Dr. Giinther 

 under the same name, since the former makes no allusion to the yellow 

 tips of the pectorals. Professor Poey, after an examination of one of 

 Cuvier's types, pronounces it distinct from Ids Serranus brunneus by reason 

 of a slightly-rounded caudal. The Serranus undulosus defined by Giin- 

 ther coincides withPoey's Serranus brunneus in its truncated caudal and 

 in other respects. I have provisionally accepted Giiuther's identifica- 

 tion of Cuvier's species. Catesby's figure disagrees in its slightly-forked 

 caudal, but in other respects corresponds with the specimen before me; 

 and, since no conjecture has been offered as to its relations, I have, 

 after making allowances for the carelessness which the artist manifests 

 in many of the other plates, ventured to refer it to the same species. 



TRISOTROPIS GUTTATUS, (Schneider) Gill. 



Red Rock-fish. 



Bonac4 cardenal, Parra, Deser. Dif. Pit z. His. Xat. Cuba, 1787, 29, lam. xvi, f. 1. 

 Johniu8 guttatus, SCHNEIDER, Bloch, Syst. Icbtb. 1801, 77 (on Parra's figure). 

 Trisotropia guttatus, Gill, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci. Pbila. 1865, 105. 

 Serranu8 cardinals, Cuv. A: Val., His. Nat. Poiss. ii, 1-. " u Parra's figure). — 



Storer, Syn. Fish., N. Am.. 1840, 27.— GtJNTHER, Car. Fish. Brit. Mas. i, 1161, 



57, note 19.— POEY, Eep. Fis.-Xat. Cuba, i, 1867,200. 

 Trisotropia cardinally, Poey, op. cit. ii, 282 : Annals Lye. Nat Hist. N. Y. ix, 1870, 303. 

 Serranu* rupesfris, Civ. & Val,, op. cit. ix, ld33, 437.— Stoker, op. cit. 29.— Gumiier, 



op. cit. 145. 



