TWO SPECIES OF RED SNAPPERS 
83 
anteriorly, very small posteriorly, and followed abruptly by the ordinary larger 
scales; opercle, subopercle, and interopercle scaly, a patch of scales directly behind 
eye and a horizontal row of 6 more or less embedded, rather strongly ctenoid scales 
above this patch; 6 rows of scales on cheeks; snout, preorbital, and upper and lower 
sides of head naked; spinous dorsal bare, base of soft dorsal in a well-developed 
scaly sheath, rows of small scales extending for some distance on soft rays; base of 
anal in a scaly sheath, rows of small scales extending on soft rays; similar rows of 
scales on caudal rays nearly covering caudal fin and extending to a short distance 
from tips of rays; a small patch of scales at base of pectoral fin, rest of the fin naked; 
scales on chest extending in midline to a little beyond base of ventrals; no scales 
on ventral fins. 
Dorsal fin consisting of 10 spines and 14 soft rays, the fourth spine longest, 
2.24 in head; distance of origin of dorsal from tip of snout 2.59 in length (1.2 as 
long as head); base of spinous dorsal 1.07 in head, base of soft part 1.54 in head; 
anal fin angulated, the angle produced, longest soft rays about 1.8 in head, first 
spine one-half as long as second, the latter 4.43 in head, third spine 3.61 in head; 
origin of anal vertically under base of third soft dorsal ray, its base 2.36 in head; 
pectorals I, 16, falcate, 1.04 in head, reaching a vertical through anus, distance of 
base of upper ray from tip of snout 1.01 in head; ventrals 1.58 in head, their origin 
directly under that of dorsal, distance of their tips from vent a little greater than 
distance of latter from origin of anal. 
Color in fresh condition ( iced specimen) . — Body, head, and fins deep red, the red 
color becoming fainter on lower parts; iris deep red with a longitudinally elongate 
black spot near upper margin of eye; 9 base of pectorals with a black blotch on 
inner and outer surfaces; dorsal and caudal with faint indications of a fine blackish 
edge; scales on upper part of body with greenish centers, giving somewhat the 
appearance of faint oblique streaks; no distinct black lateral spot. In alcohol 
the red color, including that of the eye, fades, but the short black band at the 
upper part of the eye and the black color at the base of the pectorals on both sides 
persist. After fading the body also shows a few short, faint, metallic blue crossbars. 
Locality . — Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Honduras; specimen 725 milli- 
meters long. 
When two specimens, one of each species, of about the same size are placed 
side by side the most striking characters of the Caribbean red snapper are (1) 
the shorter, more compact head, (2) the shorter, blunter snout, (3) the somewhat 
larger eye, (4) the more slender body, and (5) the smaller scales. The difference 
in the size of the scales appears more striking than the actual count would indicate. 
This is because in the red snapper from Pensacola the scales on the anterior part 
of the body, especially those below the lateral line, are considerably deeper than 
the scales on the posterior part of the body, and this, together with their greater 
breadth, makes the difference in appearance quite striking. The number of rows 
of scales would seem to be a valuable differentiating character, and it is important 
to state just how the scales were counted, since the number of rows, as is shown 
in the foregoing descriptions, depends on the method of counting. 
0 Mr . Wallace states in his field notes that snappers taken off the coast of Honduras had a yellow ring around the eye. Such 
a ring was not noticed when the specimen here described was received. 
