52 



Nils Rosén 



Farn. Sphyrsenidse. 



Sphyrcena barracuda, Walbaum. 



Taken at many places in the Bahamas. Several small specimens (length 

 about 3 cm.) were collected in May in small tidepools at Nassau. 



Fam. Stromateidae. 



Psenes cyanoplirys, Cuv. & Valenc. 

 Green Cay [Exped. Geogr. Soc.) 



Fam. Beryeidse. 



Holocentrus ascensionis, Osseck. 



Very common along the shore of Andros and Mastic Point and among corals. 

 Anal in all specimens collected with four spines, not three as stated by Jordan 

 and EvERMANN. Green Turtle Cay (Edwards). 



Holocentrus vexillarius, Poey. 

 Abaco {Albatross Exped. 1886). 



Holocentrus coruscus, Poet. 



Five specimens collected among Madreporarians in shallow water in a bight 

 north of Mastic Point on Andros. Green Turtle Cay (Edwards). 



An examination of these specimens together with one example in the Zoolog. 

 Museum at Berlin, collected by Plate in the Bahamas, makes me believe that H. 

 coruscus PoEY and H. siccifer Cope are not distinct species. The latter species, 

 which is known only from a single specimen taken in the Bahamas, would, according 

 to Cope, differ from coruscus in having 45 scales instead of about 42 in the 

 lateral line, and 13 soft rays in the dorsal instead of 14 in coruscus. As to the 

 number of scales in the lateral line, this is due to the individual mode of counting 

 them. In such a case, it is impossible to use a difference of about only 3 scales 

 as a species-character. The number of soft rays in dorsal and anal varies in my 

 specimens. In two of them there are 12 soft rays in dorsal, 8 in anal. In the 

 other the number is 13 and 9. The specimen in the Berlin Museum has 14 soft 

 rays in the dorsal. They agree all with each other in tdl structural characters, and 

 these are identical with those stated for both H. siccifer and H. coruscus. The col- 

 oration seems also to be about the same in both species. About a living specimen 

 I have made the following notes: upper part of body with alternating red and 

 brilliant white longitudinal bands, following the rows of scales; ou the lower part 

 the bands are indistinct, constituted only of small points. Spinous dorsal dark red 

 with a middle row of white spots and one similar along the tips of the rays; 

 anteriorly with a large black spot. Fins red. In some specimens there is a very 

 small black spot at the base of the pectoral fin. The length of the specimens I 

 have collected is between 4,5 to 8,5 cm. from tip of snout to tip of caudal. 



