THE FISHES OF PORTO RICO. 
153 
Color in life: Pale-gray, paler below, side with five or six broad, brown, vertical bars, irregular in 
shape, the color darker above, extending upon dorsal fin ; lower parts of these bars broken by pale blotches 
and cloudings; a band of same color from snout through eye to dorsal, where it joins its fellow; a 
narrow median band from snout backward, bifurcating opposite eye, the parallel branches extending 
to occiput and ceasing abruptly without joining the other band; a quadrate jet-black spot on upper 
surface of caudal peduncle; some obscure dark bars from eye downward and backward; numerous black 
points variously placed around and about eye; a narrow brown (in spirits) streak on edge of preorbital, 
overlapped by maxillary; lower part of side and under parts with whitish spots; dorsal yellow-edged; 
anal and caudal tipped with orange-yellow; ventrals blackish, tipped with faint yellow; pectorals light- 
orange or brownish, their bases dusky. The alcoholic specimens have the colors faded variously, some 
are nearly pale, some nearly uniform brown, and some retain the vertical bars; the square blotch on 
peduncle and the black points around eye persist in all cases and distinguish this well-marked species 
from its allies. 
This excellent food-fish is found from the Florida Keys southward among the West Indies to 
Brazil; common about Porto Rico, numerous specimens obtained at San Antonio Bridge, Puerto Real, 
Ensenada del Boqueron, Ponce, and in the San Juan market; one from San Geronimo. A common 
and very important food-fish, reaching a weight of 50 pounds or more. The average weight of those 
brought to the Key West market is less than 10 pounds, while those seen in Porto Rico were still 
smaller. This grouper is taken with hook and line both about Porto Rico and Key West. It is said 
to be found at the latter place throughout the year. 
Cherna, Parra, Dif. Piezas, Hist. Nat., 1787, 50, lam. 24, Havana. 
Anthias striatus Bloch, Ichthyologia, IX, 109, 1792, Martinique. 
Anthias cherna Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 310, 1801, Cuba. 
Spams clirysomelanurus LaciSpede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 160, 1803, Martinique. 
Epinephelus striatus, Poey, Fauna Puerto-Riq., 319, 1881; Stahl, 1. e., 76 and 162, 1883; Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1157, 1896. 
109. Epinephelus guttatus (Linnaeus). “ Mero Guajiro” ; Cabrilla; Red-hind. 
(Plate 13.) 
Head 2.5; depth 3.2; eye 4.3; snout 4.3; maxillary 2.2; mandible 1.9; interorbital 7.8; preorbital 
11; D. xi, 16; A. iii, 8; pectoral 1.9; ventral 2.25; caudal 2; scales about 20-100 to 120-x. 
Body elongate, somewhat compressed, not so heavy forward as in E. adscensimh; head pointed, 
mouth moderate, maxillary (which is finely scaled) reaching about to posterior border of eye, falling 
short in young; jaws subequal, lower barely projecting; canines of upper jaw the larger; interorbital 
space narrow, little more than half eye; preopercle finely serrate, more strongly at angle; a shallow 
emargination above angle; gillrakers not long, about 17 below angle, counting rudiments; scales 
ctenoid. Dorsal fin continuous, with a shallow emargination; caudal gently rounded. 
Color: In life light yellowish-olive above, whitish or reddish below; three broad, oblique, obscure 
bands of olive running upward and backward on side; body everywhere with vivid scarlet spots, those 
above a little darker, those below sometimes with darker centers; some scarlet inside of mouth; soft 
parts of vertical fins olivaceous and reddish, broadly edged with black, especially dorsal ; caudal palest; 
each with a very narrow white edge; pectoral light-yellow or reddish-orange, with scarlet spots; 
ventrals red, blackish at tips; inside of mouth red. Another specimen 10 inches long, from Arroyo, 
showed the following: Body dirty or yellowish- white, profusely covered with round brick-red spots 
about size of pupil, these darkest above and rosiest red below; these spots somewhat regularly in rows and 
covering head, lips, and lower jaw; inside of mouth red on sides; tongue white; dorsal olivaceous, with 
darker and paler areas, edge of membrane at tips of spines rich yellow, elsewhere black-edged; soft dorsal 
with broad black border narrowly edged with white; anal with six or eight red spots near base beyond 
which the fin is mottled, then dark like the soft dorsal; pectoral pale-red; ventral with a few pale- red 
spots, fin purplish-black at tip. In spirits, the oblique bands fade and the scarlet spots become brown. 
This species resembles, at least in preserved specimens, E. adscensionis, from which it may be 
distinguished by the scales of maxillary and the broad black edgings of vertical fins. Its range is from 
the Carolinas southward through the Bahamas and West Indies to Brazil; it is known from Charleston, 
the Bahamas, Key West, the Bermudas, Havana, Jamaica, Porto Rico, and Martinique. It was obtained 
by us at Aguadilla, Puerto Real, Arroyo, Isabel Segunda, and Culebra, and by Mr. Gray at San Geronimo. 
This is one of the smallest of the groupers, rarely attaining a greater length than 18 inches; it is, 
however, an important food-fish, and in the Havana market is one of the most abundant species. It 
