THE FISHES OF PORTO RICO. 
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at symphysis; teeth small, in an irregular double series in each jaw; anterior end of maxillary with 
large blunt spine pointing somewhat outward and forward; interorbital very wide and deeply concave; 
orbital rim, below on upper orbit, above on lower, broken up into blunt papillae; eye with moderate 
cirri near upper margin of iris on eye membrane or cover. Gillrakers short and thick, 9 developed 
on lower* part of arch, none on upper. Anterior part of interorbital, snout, maxillary, and mandible 
naked; scales of eyed side ctenoid, those of blind side smooth; arch of lateral line short and high, its 
base contained 5.5 in the straight portion. Dorsal fin beginning above the anterior nostril; ventral of 
colored side beginning under middle of lower eye, with 6 rays; left ventral inserted farther back, also 
of 6 rays. 
Color in spirits: Ground-color of eyed side gray, thickly dotted with light-brown, giving it a 
brownish tint; speckled with dark-brown, numerous complete, broken, and incomplete rings of light- 
blue, edged outside with dark-brown or olive, surrounding areas of ground-color; diameter of longest 
ring about 10 mm., some of the rings with irregular or scalloped outline indicating coalescing spots; 
base of tail and head with blue spots arid crescents; vertical fins and caudal with light-blue spots 
(becoming white in time) ; vertical fins brownish with black spots at intervals along the base; pectoral 
barred with black. A black blotch on lateral line at junction of straight portion and arch, another 
about midway the straight portion, and another at base of caudal peduncle. 
The specimen upon which this description is based (taken from a specimen 213 mm. total length, 
from Culebra Island) differs somewhat from current descriptions chiefly in lacking the smaller spine 
on upper edge of maxillary behind larger one on snout; in the filamentous ray of pectoral; in having 
6 rays in right ventral; presence of ocular cirri; and in having ctenoid scales on colored side. Notwith- 
standing these apparent differences, there can be no doubt regarding the identification. The pectoral 
is slightly filamentous, indicating the possibility of individuals, perhaps the other sex, having the long 
filament as found in other flat-fishes. The so-called “spine” on the snout is really a tubercle in the 
above-described specimen, and doubtless is more or less an age or sex character, if not both, and 
perhaps a more or less individual variation. As shown by other specimens, the scales are not always 
so strongly ctenoid, and they are not uniformly so in this one. The coloration is plainly that of P. 
lunatus. A series of fishes of this genus shows all grades of coloration and other variations which 
enable us to include in P. lunatus at least one other species formerly considered distinct, and very 
probably two. Platophrys maculifer represents a younger individual of P. lunatus in which the sup- 
posed differential marks are not so well developed. Jordan & Evermann, in Bulletin 47, U. S. N. M., 
state that they have never seen any young examples certainly referable to P. lunatus, and until its 
development is traced some of the species known from small examples only must be doubtful. This 
also leads us to believe that the present conclusions are correct. ^ 
The following notes will serve to show something of the color variations: 
1. A specimen, 215 mm. long, from Aguadilla has the black blotches along side more diffuse and 
larger, the first being under end of pectoral below lateral line; cirri are present on both eyes. 
2. A specimen from San Antonio Bridge, 131 mm. long, agrees perfectly with descriptions of P. 
maculifer (Poey) in coloration, and very closely in other respects. Head 3.33; depth about 1.8; eye 
(lower) 5.8; maxillary 3.3; snout 4.12; D. 90; A. 70; scales 86. Mouth small, oblique, the maxillary 
3.4 in head; eye with cirri; no filamentous pectoral ray; arch of lateral line short and high. Color, 
reddish-gray, body covered with circles of round sky-blue spots, which are not confluent and not 
edged with darker color; besides these very few detached spots or other blue markings; head with 
similar blue spots, but no rings; area inclosed in blue rings not different from ground-color; caudal 
with blue spots, other fins with none; dorsal and anal mottled with black blotches each covering the 
bases of about 3 rays, with about 7 rays intervening between the blotches; a large, diffuse, dusky spot 
at front of straight part of lateral line; one better defined with lighter area on it anteriorly on middle 
of lateral line; a faint one under last part of vertical fins not far in front of caudal peduncle; pectoral 
grayish, with narrow dark bars. 
3. A specimen 97 mm. long from Playa de Ponce may be described as follows: Head 3.5; depth 
about 1.7; eye about 4.33; snout 4; maxillary 3; D. 85; A. 73; pores 90; ocular cirri present. Color, 
gray, clouded with smoky-brown and some still more dusky mottlings; numerous small blue spots 
arranged in more or less complete rings and singly, some of the rings with a small whiter spot in center; 
large black blotch just behind arch of lateral line, one midway of straight portion, and another small 
faint one over last part of anal fin; first blotch has 4 gray areas in it, second has one large crescentic 
gray area, which is spotted or dotted with black; a fainter, lighter margin around front of point of the 
