THE FISHES OF PORTO RICO. 
249 
205 . Clisetodon striatus Linnseus. “Mariposa’' ; Butterfly. 
(Plate 34.) 
Head 3; depth 1.6; eye 3.2; snout 2.8; interorbital 3.25; D. xii, 20 or 21; A. nr, 16 or. 17; pectoral 
1.3; ventral 1-25; caudal 1.7; scales 8-38 to 40-16. Body ovate, much compressed, covered with large 
ctenoid scales, the series of which above axis of body run obliquely upward and backward, those 
below downward and backward; head small, pointed, with much smaller scales, anterior profile slightly 
concave; snout somewhat produced; mouth very small, terminal, with brush-like teeth in jaws; dorsal 
fin continuous, spines graduated, strong and pungent, soft rays densely covered with small scales 
graduated in size, becoming smaller toward margin of fin; anal similar to dorsal, both angulated 
behind; caudal convex. 
Color in life: Ground-color very light yellow, almost white; narrow longitudinal dark stripes 
between rows of scales visible through the brown crossbands; a black stripe about half width of eye 
from occiput through eye to lower side of head, not extending on breast; a second broad band, brown 
in color, wider above, where it is greater than width of eye, from first dorsal spines downward across side, 
meeting its fellow on belly in front of vent; another band, similar to last in color and size, from last 
dorsal spines across body and extending upon anal fin; another on soft dorsal, yellowish-brown, 
narrowly joined at its top to the preceding, extending downward on soft dorsal, caudal peduncle, and 
posterior part of base of anal, where it is joined to ventral end of preceding bar; first three of these 
bars slightly curved, their concavities backward; margins of soft dorsal and anal with a narrow band 
of black, bordered on its inner edge with brownish-yellow, on its outer edge by a narrow pale stripe, 
outside of this a yellow one; this same combination of color-bands extending vertically on middle of 
caudal, which is pale posteriorly; a black blotch on caudal peduncle; a rounded black blotch on 
anterior portion of soft dorsal, sometimes absent or merging with the surrounding color, very distinct 
and ocellated in young of about 2 inches; iris yellow, save where crossed by the black band; yellow 
shades on top of head; breast dusky; membrane of second, third, and fourth dorsal spines black at 
base, the color extending on base of spines; membrane of longest spines yellow outwardly; pectoral 
pale; ventral black outwardly, light-greenish near base, a little yellow on membrane of spine. 
In spirits, the delicate color shading disappears but the main features of the markings persist. 
A beautiful little fish, rarely over 6 or 7 inches in length, rather common from the West Indies 
to Brazil; recorded by Jordan & Butter from Jamaica and fairly abundant in Porto Rico. Numerous 
specimens, 1.75 to 4.5 inches long, were seined at Mayaguez, Puerto Beal, Ponce, and Arroyo. 
Clisetodon striatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. X, 275, 1758, Indies; Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1G77, 1898. 
206 . Chaetodon capistratus Linnaeus. “Mariposa” ; Parche; Butterfly. 
(Plate 35.) 
Head 2.9; depth 1.7; eye 2.9; snout 2.9; interorbital 3.5; D. xn or xm, 19 or 20; A. in, 17; 
pectoral 1.2; ventral 1.25; caudal 1.4; scales about 40. General form of Clisetodon striatus , series of 
scales both above and below more oblique; those above upward and backward, those below downward 
and backward; very distinct blue stripes between rows of scales, sometimes zigzag or undulate, 
sharply marking their difference in direction; a black band, edged with white, from occiput across 
head through eye, as in C. striatus; a diffuse brownish vertical bar across body from first dorsal spines 
to below pectoral; a round jet-black ocellated spot, larger than the eye, on body under soft dorsal, 
the lateral line extending upon it, surrounded by an obscure brownish shade; soft dorsal and anal 
and basal portion of caudal with a narrow black stripe edged inwardly with brown and outwardly 
with yellow; basal portion of the anal yellowish, tip of fin bright yellow; spinous dorsal pale-blue, 
yellow-edged; outer portion of caudal pale blue; ventrals yellow; iris, snout, breast, and belly yellow. 
In spirits, the blue lines become brown, and the yellow shades pale. 
One of the smallest and handsomest of the chsetodonts, probably never exceeding 4 or 5 inches 
in length. It is found from southern Florida southward through the West Indies, and is generally 
common. It is recorded from Key West, Havana, Jamaica, and Porto Rico. Numerous examples, 
each about 2 inches long, obtained by us at San Antonio Bridge, Mayaguez, Porto Real, Boqueron, 
Hucares, and Fajardo; the most abundant chsetodont in Porto Rico. 
Chsetodon capistratus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. X, 275, 1758, Indies; Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1677, 1898. 
