THE EISHES OF PORTO RICO. 
303 
Genus 144. CAULOLATILUS Gill. Blanquillos. 
Body elongate, subfusiform, not strongly compressed, heavy forward, tapering to a rather slender 
caudal peduncle; profile of head strongly arched ; mouth moderate, little oblique, jaws nearly equal; 
lips thick; maxillary narrow, not slipping under preorbital; teeth in villiform bands, preceded by a 
row of stronger acute teeth; posterior teeth in each jaw canine-like, directed forward; posterior canines 
of upper jaw largest; no teeth on vomer or palatines; preopercle pectinate, teeth nearly even; opercle 
with a blunt, flat spine; eyes large, lateral; gill-membranes slightly connected, forming a fold across 
isthmus, with which they are narrowly joined; branchiostegals 6; gillrakers short and stout; nostrils 
double, round, close together; scales small, firm, ctenoid; lateral line continuous, concurrent with the 
back; dorsal with 7 to 9 slender, pointed, graduated spines and 22 to 27 soft rays; anal similar to soft 
dorsal, with 1 or 2 small spines and more than 20 soft rays; caudal fin forked; ventral fins thoracic; 
no adipose appendage at nape; vertebrae 12 -)- 15 = 27. 
Large fishes of the warm seas of America; valued as food. 
a. Scales small, about 125 in lateral line, about 50 in a transverse series. 
b. Eye small, 6 in bead; depth 3.5 in body; scales 13-120-35 microps 
aa. Scales larger, about 10-108-26 cyanops, 256 
256. Caulolatilus cyanops Poey. Blanquillo; Tremba. 
Head 4 in total length; D. vn, 24; A. i, 22 (scales 10-108-25. Bean). Profile convex before 
eye, not ascending to nape; no scales on fins; soft rays little divided; caudal slightly lunate; the 
first caudal vertebra spoon-like, its cavity receiving air-bladder; vertebrae 12 -j- 15; no pyloric caeca; 
stomach short; air-bladder large. 
Color greenish above, a faint, broad, interrupted brown band above lateral line; some small 
brown spots above and below it; region below eye clear blue, not very different from color of belly; 
soft dorsal brown, paler at its base, edged with orange; spinous dorsal orange. (Poey.) 
The blanquillo is related to the tile-fish, and is known only from the coasts of Cuba and Porto 
Rico, though it may be identical with C. chrysops, described from the coast of Brazil. It was not 
obtained by us in Porto Rico, but has been recorded from that island by Poey and Stahl. 
When at Nassau, en route to Porto Rico, wt caught with hook and line 2 fine examples of Mala- 
canthus plumieri (Bloch) , another relative of the tile-fish. This species is called “ sand-fish ” at Nassau, 
and its occurrence about Porto Rico may be confidently expected. 
Caulolatilus cyanops Poey, Repertorio, I, 312, 1867, Cuba; Poey, Fauna Puerto-Riquena, 334, 1881; Stahl, 1. c., 78 and 164, 
1883; Jordan & Evermann, 1. c., 2278, 1898. 
Family LXIX. DACTYLOSCOPIC. The Sand Star-gazers. 
Body oblong, low, compressed posteriorly, covered with moderate, cycloid, imbricated scales; 
lateral line complete, anteriorly running alongside of back, posteriorly median; head oblong, nearly 
plane above; eyes small, superior, well forward; suborbital bones enlarged, but without bony stay 
connecting with preopercle; nostrils double; opercles fringed; mouth nearly vertical; premaxillaries 
protractile, not forming entire edge of upper jaw; lips fringed as in Urimoscopiclse; gill-openings very 
broad, membranes separated and free from isthmus, pseudobranchirr; present or obsolete. Dorsal fin 
very long, continuous or divided, several of anterior rays spinous; anal very long, commencing close 
behind vent, which is near breast; caudal diphycercal, free from dorsal and anal; pectoral variable, 
base broad and procurrent; vent.rals jugular, i, 3; vertebrae more than 10-|-14; pyloric caeca none. 
Small fishes living on sandy shores of tropical America, comprising 4 genera and about 10 species. 
The family is nearly related to the Vranoscopidx, of which group it seems to be a reduced or degenerate 
branch. Its relation with the Asiatic family Leploscopidx are most intimate, the incomplete vent.rals 
and simple pectoral rays of Dactyloscopidx being the chief distinctive features. 
