236 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION, 
bh. Caudal fin simply lunate, outer rays more or less exserted, but not twice as long as inner rays and much shorter 
than head; canine single on each side (rarely obsolete or duplicated). 
g. Head with a scarlet stripe from below eye to angle of mouth; a small scarlet streak behind eye; color, chiefly 
purplish brown; a round spot of yellow and black behind head, just below lateral line; tins chiefly red; angles 
of caudal black; axillary spot obscure aurofrenatum, 192 
g<j. Head without scarlet stripe. 
h. Pectoral very long and sharp, 5 in body; body brownish, not striped; no axillary spot oxybrachium 
hh. Pectoral moderate, less than one-fifth length. 
i. Color, dark reddish-brown, with white mottlings; no yellow or black spot; belly abruptly red; fins mostly cherry 
red; axillary spot obsolete; body rather deep; scales large, their outlines well defined abildgaardi, 193 
ii. Color, brownish, with 3 or 4 pale longitudinal streaks, upper running to a faint pale blotch on back of tail 
between 2 dark-brown blotches; caudal distinctly pale-edged behind and more distinctly barred than in S. 
flavescens; spot at base of pectoral brownish and very faint; about 4 small dusky blotches along base of dorsal, 
last one most distinct at base of last ray; caudal with many crossbars and blotches; snout dusky; chin with 
1 or 2 whitish crossbars; caudal concave, with sharp angles; dorsal and anal mottled with brown; pectorals 
and ventrals plain; young with dark opercular blotch and dark points about eye distinctum 
bbb. Caudal fin in adult deeply forked, upper lobe about as long as head and twice Or more length of inner rays; 
caudal fin variegated. 
j. Canines 4 to 6 on each side; pores of lateral line excessively branched, each with several (6 to 8) much divided 
branches. Color, bright greenish-blue (the sides sometimes with a blue band); caudal lobes blue, middle rays 
red; dorsal and anal red; pectoral yellowish, axillary spot large, black, edged with red chrysopterum, 194 
jj. Canines 1 or 2 on each side; upper and lower caudal lobes greenish. 
k. Opercle without black-and-yellow spot; pores of lateral line each with 4 or 5 nearly simple branches lorito, 195 
kk. Opercle with an inky-black spot, in front of which is a golden spot; no spot at base of pectoral viride, 196 
Euscarus: 
an. Upper jaw never with posterior lateral canines; colors dull, usually mottled brown or greenish. 
l. Caudal slightly rounded, angles not produced. 
m. Scales of lateral line and some on nape and opercle black; dorsal spines stout; olive, vertical fins edged with 
violet; axil violet strigatum 
ll. Caudle lunate, or truncate with sharp angles (rounded in very young). 
n. Caudal fin distinctly barred with irregular brown spots and markings. 
o. Body without distinct pale longitudinal streaks above; caudal not evidently pale-edged; spot on base of pectoral 
blackish and distinct; no evident pale or dark blotches on back of tail. 
p. Caudal lunate or subtruncate in adult, rounded in young. General color olivaceous or reddish-brown, clouded, 
and washed with cherry-red; lower fins mostly red; pectoral light-orange; chin pale, with whitish cross- 
band flavescens, 197 
pp. Caudal truncate, not at all lunate in adult, angles very slightly produced. 
q. Color olivaceous or bluish-green, a whitish streak below mouth; a dark axillary spot usually present; a whitish 
band on caudal; fins dotted rubripinne, 198 
nn. Caudal fin not crossbarred. 
r. Axillary spot black, very distinct; outer rays of caudal considerably produced, length of exserted part one-third to 
one-half that of head. 
s. Caudal red, its outer rays green; axillary spot very distinct; body olivaceous, nearly plain-reddish below; some 
greenish-blue on head; a faint greenish streak running backward from angle of mouth brachiale, 199 
ss. Caudal violaceous, its outer rays one-half head; a dark spot at base of pectoral; color dusky-red, scales of back and 
sides with red spots maschalespilos 
rr. Axillary spot faint or wanting; coloration uniform dark purplish-violet; 3 large scales on cheek; dorsal spines rather 
slender, but pungent; caudal emarginate; tubes of each scale of lateral line much ramified and extending over 
whole scale; teeth of moderate size, very distinct on edges of jaws frondosum 
189. Sparisoma xystrodon Jordan A Swain. Loro; Parrot-fisli. 
Head 3.2; depth 3; eye 5; snout 2. 75; interorbital width 3.8; preorbital 3.2; scales 1-25-5; D. ix, 10; 
A. 11; pectoral 1.5; ventral 1.9; middle caudal rays 1.75. Body oblong wedge-shaped, heavy forward; 
profile in a regular curve from snout to dorsal fin; upper jaw with 3 or 4 exserted canines on each side 
above cutting edge, largest in front of angle of mouth curved outward and backward, one next in 
front less curved, directed downward and slightly forward (sometimes backward), the pair at median 
suture small; upper lip covering most of upper jaw. Scales large and thin, a row of five on cheek; 4 
scales in front of origin of dorsal fin; dorsal low, spines pungent, longest shorter than snout, rays 
longer, about 2 in head; anal similar to soft dorsal but lower; caudal slightly convex when spread, 
outer rays slightly shorter than middle ones; pectoral broad, reaching a little past tips of ventrals; 
ventrals short, not reaching anus. 
Color in life: Bright olive-green above, paler below, the upper parts very much mottled, 
speckled with white and marbled with coppery-red; head similarly green, dotted with whitish 
above; a narrow ring of bright blue below eye, interrupted above; a narrow blue stripe from eye to 
angle of mouth; a blue spot behind eye; blue and coppery markings on opercle; lower part of head 
