THE FISHES OF POETO RICO. 
269 
This species differs from Splieroides spengleri in the high and prominent eye, very narrow inter- 
orbital, strongly concave outline of snout, extensive distribution of prickles, and in color. It is found 
in the West Indies to Brazil; recorded from Brazil and Jamaica; common in Porto Rico, the collection 
containing specimens from San Antonio Bridge, Aguadilla, Mayaguez, and Hucares. 
Tctrodon marmoratus Ranzani, Nov. Comm. Ac. Sci. Inst., Bonon., IV, 1810, 72, pi. 10, fig. 1, Brazil. 
Splieroides marmoratus, Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1733, 1898. 
226. Spheroides testudineus (Linnaeus). “ Tamboril” ; Tambov; Globe-fish; Puffer. 
(Plate 41.) 
Head 3; snout moderately long, 2 in head; eye small, about 7.5 in head, nearer gill-opening than 
end of snout; interorbital width 4 in head; D. S; A. 6; skin of back from nape to before dorsal tin 
covered with small, sparsely set prickles; belly from throat to anal with prickles which are rather 
large and closely set; axil usually prickly, these prickles rarely wanting or obscured; sides sometimes 
with cirri. Back dark-olivaceous, with whitish curved lines and streaks paler than the ground-color, 
these streaks usually arranged as follows: A circle or rhomb on middle of back, in front of dorsal tin, 
this surrounded by an ellipse, the ellipse sometimes broken up by cross-streaks; before this 3 or 4 
cross-streaks extending downward and backward, one at nape and one behind eyes connected on 
median line; back and sides with many irregular, round, blackish spots of different sizes; a dark bar 
at base of pectoral; caudal dusky at base, then pale, posterior half blackish; skull not very broad, 
interorbital area somewhat concave, prefrontal grooves narrow. Length a foot or more. 
An inhabitant of the West Indies, generally common; occasionally ascending rivers; ranging 
north in the Gulf Stream to Woods Hole; recorded from several points in Florida and apparently 
common in Porto Rico, the collections containing specimens from Palo Seco, Aguadilla, Mayaguez, 
Ensenada del Boqueron, Fajardo, Hucares, San Antonio Bridge, and Isabel Segunda; taken by Mr. 
Gray at San Geronimo; recorded also from Jamaica, Dominica, Puerto Cabello, and Brazil. 
Oslracion oblongus glaber, A’rtedi, Genera Piscium, 60; after Clusius, Willughby, etc.. Balk, Amoen. Acad. 1,591,1749. 
Orbis lievis variegatus (the Globe-fish), Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, pi. 28, 1743, Virginia. 
Tetraodon testudineus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. X, 332, 1758; based on Balk and Artedi. 
? Tetrodon punctatus Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ic.hth., 506, 1801, Brazil. 
Tetrodon geometricus Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 508, 1801, Virginia; after Catesby. 
Tctrodon ammocryptus Gosse.Nat. Sojourn Jamaica, 287, 1851, Jamaica. 
Anchisomus reticularis (Kaup) Richardson, Voyage Herald, 161, pi. 31, 1854; not Tetrodon reticularis Bloch & Schneider, 
which is Tetrodon testudineus Bloch, not of Linnaeus. 
Holacanihus leionothos Gronow, Syst. Nat., ed. Gray, 24, 1854, American ocean. 
Tetrodon testudineus, Poey, Fauna Puerto-Riquena, 347, 1881; Stahl, 1. c., 81 and 167, 1883. 
Spheroides testudineus, Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 1734, 1898. 
Family LX. CANTHIGASTERID7E. The Sharp-nosed Puffers. 
This family includes small puffers, similar in external appearance to the Tetraodonlidse, but with 
the snout sharp and the back more or less compressed or ridge-like. The skeletal characters by which 
the group is defined are thus given by Dr. Gill: Medifrontals separated from supraoccipital by inter- 
vention of sphenotics, which are connected and laterally expanded, but short; prosethmoid prominent 
above, enlarged and narrowed forward. Vertebrae about 8+ 10. Head compressed, with a projecting, 
attenuated snout; dorsal and anal short, few-rayed. Nostrils obsolete, imperforate. 
One genus, with 15 species, found in the tropical seas; none over 5 inches in length. 
Genus 125. CANTHIGASTER Swainson. 
Characters of the genus included above. 
227. Canting-aster rostratus (Bloch). Sharp-nosed Puffer. 
Head 2.6; eye 3.6; snout 1.7; interorbital 3; D. 6; A. 8; caudal of 9 rays, 1.6 in head. A tetraodont 
with a produced and pointed snout, elevated and somewhat compressed back, and the belly and back 
witli weak prickles. 
Color in life: Back and one-third distance down side olivaceous, rest of body pale, demarcation 
rather abrupt, an oblong black blotch extending downward and forward from front of dorsal; about 
12 narrow blue lines radiating from eye; snout with 6 or 8 similar lines; side of head with many small 
