1 50 
BULLETIN OE THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
105. Bodianus ruber (Bloch & Schneider). “Ft tin”; Bed Guativere; Ouatilihi. 
Head2.fi; depth 3; eye 5.3; snout 3.8; maxillary 2.1; mandible 1.7; interorbital 6; preorbital 9; 
D. ix, 15; A. m,9; pectoral 3.6; ventral 2.1; caudal 1.7; scales about 12-90 to 1 10-32. 
Body elongate, not greatly compressed; mouth moderate; maxillary not extending beyond eye in 
our specimens; lower jaw projecting; teeth about as in Petromelopon cruentalus, depressible teeth smaller; 
preopercle with weak serrations, its outline convex, with a very slight emargination; opercle with three 
large, flat exposed spines, and a pointed opercular flap. Scales ctenoid. Dorsal spines slender and 
sharp, of nearly equal length, save the first and second, which are shorter; caudal truncate; second 
anal spine somewhat stronger than third, about 3.5 in head; pectoral pointed, reaching far past tip of 
ventral, 1.7 in head; ventral not reaching vent, 2.1 in head. 
Color in life: Body and head rich rosy-red, darkest above, palest on bell}'; hack and sides to 
lower level of pectoral, as well as head, with numerous small round blue spots, those on head largest; 
head with a few similar black or darkish spots; dorsal and anal fins blood -red, with black edge; caudal 
pale-red; pectoral orange-red; ventrals blood-red, with slight hlack border; insideof mouth flesh-color; 
two large black spots on tip of lower jaw and two similar black spots on dorsal side of caudal peduncle, 
in spirits the color is pale-yellowish, in some specimens brownish-grav; t lie spots mostly remain blue, 
but some change to gray and brown; caudal dusky, edged with two narrow hands, the inner dark, 
outer pale, these faded in some specimens. 
Two specimens, 8 to 9 inches long, from Arroyo, February 4; called “ fino” by the local fishermen. 
This good food-fish is fairly common throughout the West Indies to Brazil; usually in moderate depths. 
Carauna, Marcgravc, Hist. Brasil., 147, 1648, Brazil. 
Guativere, Parra, Descr. Dif. Piezas, Hist. Nat., pi. 5, fig. 1, 1787, Cuba. 
Gymnocephalus ruber Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 346, pi. 67, 1801, Brazil; on Carauna of Marcgrave. 
Sen-anus ouatalibi Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 71, 381, 1828, Havana. 
Sen-anus carauna Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 384, 1828, Brazil. 
Bodianus f ulcus ruber , Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1145, 1896. 
106. Bodianus punctatus ( Linnaeus). Nigger-fish; Black Guativere. 
Not differing materially from the preceding, except in color. Color in life, brownish or blackish- 
olive; spots everywhere on sides and head, dark -blue with light-blue centers; dorsal fin dusky-olive, 
edged with darker, a few spots on its base; soft dorsal margined with whitish; caudal dusky-olive; 
anal and ventrals violaceous-black; pectorals olivaceous; the spots in spirits become brown, with gray 
centers. Length 8.5 to 12 inches. 
This species is common in the West Indies, north to Florida. One specimen from Puerto Real 
and three from San Geronimo. B. ruber and B. punctatus have usually been regarded as subspecies of 
B. fulvus, but until the fact of intergradation is established it is best to treat them as distinct species. 
Perea marina puncticulata, Catesby, Hist. Carolinas, etc., pi. 7,1743, Bahamas. 
Perea punctata Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., X, 1758, 293, Bahamas; based on Catesby. 
Perea punetulala G met in, Syst. Nat., 1315, 1788, Bahamas; after Catesby. 
Enneaeenlrus punctulatus Poey, Fauna Puerto- Riqnena, 319, 1881; Stahl, 1. c.,162, 1883. 
Bodianus fulvus punctatus, Jordan & Evermann, l.c., 1146, 1896. 
