152 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
107 . Epinephelus adscensionis (Osbeck). Rock-hind; Cabra Mora. 
(Plate 11.) 
Head 2.4; depth 3.2; eye 6; snout 4.3; maxillary 2.3; mandible 2; interorbital 6.7; preorbital 
10; D. xi, 17; A. nr, 8; pectoral 2; ventral 2.5; caudal 2; scales about 100. Body oblong, robust, 
somewhat compressed posteriorly; head large, pointed; mouth large, maxillary reaching posterior 
border of eye, lower jaw strongly projecting; teeth in broad bands, canines in front of lower jaw 
smaller than those of upper; preopercular margin rounded, with a slight emargi nation, finely serrate; 
gillrakers short and thick, 9 + 18; middle opercular spine strong and prominent, lower much smaller 
and upper not evident without dissection ; scales ctenoid ; fins rather large, dorsal continuous, with a very 
shallow notch, spines strong; pectoral broad, middle rays longest, reaching beyond tips of ventrals, 
equal in length to caudal; ventrals not reaching vent; caudal truncate or gently rounded in younger, 
adult with margin wavy, due to extension of middle branches of the much-branched rays. 
Color in life: Olivaceous-gray, with darker clouds; everywhere covered with round orange-brown 
or reddish spots, largest and reddest on breast, their centers more orange, borders brown; some 
scattered whitish blotches; five roundish, ill-defined black blotches along side of back, those under 
dorsal fin extending upon it and disappearing with age; mouth pale within, roof with red spots; dorsal 
and anal spotted similarly to body, without dark edge, edge of anal red on anterior rays; ventrals with 
orange spots; basal half of pectoral colored similarly to dorsal and anal, outer part plain; caudal plain 
olive with both pale and colored spots at base. In spirits the orange-brown spots become dull-brown. 
This fish is widely distributed throughout the western Atlantic from southern Florida to Brazil and 
is also known from Ascension and St. Helena islands and Cape of Good Hope. At Key West it is 
very common about rocky elevations in moderately deep water, and is one of the most important food- 
fishes, reaching a length of 2 feet or more and a weight of 15 or 16 pounds, though the average weight of 
those brought to Key West does not exceed 2 or 3 pounds. It is caught with hook and line, will take 
any kind of bait, and exhibits good game qualities. In Porto Rico it is probably common, though we 
took only two specimens, 10 and 15 inches long, from Ponce and Isabel Segunda. 
The rock-hind is one of the most beautiful of our tropical fishes, whether we consider the richness 
of its colors or the trinmess of its form. It bears a strong general resemblance to the red-hind, but its 
spots are less thickly placed and are larger on some parts of the body. 
Perea tola maculis Seba, Thesaurus, III, tab. 27. 
Trachinus adscensionis Osbeck, Iter Chin., etc., 1757, English edition, 90, 1771, Ascension Island. 
Trachinus pundatus Bonnaterre, Tableau Encycl. Method., 1788, 10; after Osbeck. 
Perea stellio Walbaum, Artedi Piscium, 349, 1792; after Seba. 
Perea maculata Bloch, Ichthyol., pi. 313, 1792, Martinique. 
Trachinus osbeck Lac6pede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 364, 1800, Ascension Island; after Osbeck. 
Spams atlanticus LacOpOde, 1. c., IV, 158, pi. 5, fig. 1, 1803, Martinique; on a copy of a drawing by Plumier. 
Serranus nigriculus Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 375, 1828, Martinique. 
Sen-anus pixanga Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., II, 383, 1828, Brazil; after Marcgrave. 
Serranus aspersus Jenyns, Voyage of Beagle, Fishes, 6, 1842, Porto Praya, St. Jago, of the Cape Verde Islands. 
Serranus impetiginosus Muller & Troschel, Schomburgk’s Hist. Barb., 065, 1848, Barbados. 
Serranus varius Boeourt, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) , X, 1868, 222, Gulf coast of Mexico. 
Epinephelus pundatus, Poey, Fauna Puerto-Riquena, 319, 1881; Stahl, 1. c., 76 and 162, 1883. 
Epinephelus adscensionis, Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1152, 1896. 
108 . Epinephelus striatus (Bloch). “ Cherna,” ; Nassau Grouper; Hamlet; Cherna Criolla. 
(Plate 12.) 
Head 2.5; depth 3; eye 5.5; snout 4.2; maxillary 2.2; mandible 1.8; interorbital 7; preorbital 
10; D. xi, 17; A. in, 8; pectoral 1.8; ventral 2.1; caudal 1.8; scales about 110. 
Body rather elongate, of moderate depth, dorsal outline regularly arched, back somewhat com- 
pressed; head pointed; mouth rather large, maxillary reaching posterior border of orbit, jaws nearly 
equal, or lower slightly projecting; teeth in jaws in bands with enlarged patches in front, a pair of 
canines in front of each jaw, lower pair the smaller; inner teeth of bands enlarged and depressible; 
preopercle with fine serrations, these enlarged near the angle; opercle ending in 3 flat spines, middle 
one strongest, upper one scarcely evident; a membranous opercular flap; gillrakers 8+15, counting 
rudiments; dorsal spines strong, fleshy prolongations of the membrane extending beyond their tips; 
soft dorsal higher than spinous portion; anal short, high, and rounded; caudal rounded; pectoral 
large, reaching tips of ventrals, middle rays longest; soft dorsal and anal little scaly; scales of body 
small, firm and strongly ctenoid. 
