362 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
name “ Garrupa ” (=:Grouper), a name widely used in America for the larger Serranoid 
fishes. 
The following notes are taken from the skull of a small example (about 18 inches 
long) from the beach of the Grand Lagoon at Pensacola ; 
COMPARISON OF THE SKULL OF EPINEPHELUS NIGRITUS WITH THAT OF E. MORIO. 
In E. morio the skull is narrow and the upper surface rugose, the interorbital area is deeply concave, 
and the median crest, though low, is quite prominent; the occipital crest is sharp and drawn out so 
that it gradually merges into the interorhital ridge ; the outline of the skull immediately behind the 
orbit is convex ; the top of the temporal crest points inward to the occipital crest ; the stay of the 
occipital crest forms a groove with the posterior part of the crest.' 
In E, nigritus the skull is very broad and flat, the interorbital area is little concave, and the median 
ridge is scarcely evident ; the occipital crest disappears before reaching the interorbital region ; the out- 
line of the skull above is every where more or less flattened ; the top of the temporal crest points out- 
ward ; the stay of the occipital crest meets the crest at right angles and does not form a groove with it. 
39. EPINEPHELUS MERUS. 
(Mero de lo Alto.) 
CentroprisHs merus Poey, Synopsis Piscuim Cubensium, 288, 1868 (Cuba). 
Cerna sicana Doderleiu, Rivista delle Specie del Genere Epinepheliis o Cerna, 1882, 81 (Palermo), 
Habitat. — West Indian fauna, taken off Cuba, Sicily, and Brazil. 
Etymology. — Merus, from merou, the French name of Epineplielus gigas, derived 
from Latin morrhua, cod-fish. 
The brief description given by Poey of his CentroprisHs merus agrees with Epinephe- 
lus nigritus in all respects except the presence of but ten dorsal spines. The same may 
be said of the description given by Doderleiu of a large Epineplielus recently taken in 
the waters about Palermo, to which he has hesitatingly given the name of Serranus 
or Cerna sicana.* 
I find in the Museum of Comparative Zoology two specimens (9737, 9788), each 
about 15 inches long, collected by Professor Agassiz at Rio de Janeiro, and a smaller 
one from Rio Grande do Sul. These specimens much resemble the Epineplielus 
nigritus ; but all three agree in having, like the types of merus and sieanus, but ten dor- 
sal spines, and, as in these species, the second dorsal spine is much elevated. There 
seems to be little room for doubt that all these specimens belong to one species, 
hitherto imperfectly known. This species should then retain the oldest specific name 
Epineplielus merus. 
The following description is taken from 9737, M. C. Z. : 
Body very deep and short, deeper and more compressed than in any other of our 
species of Epineplielus. Head large and blunt, the anterior profile regularly convex; 
interorbital area broad, as in E. nigritus, rather convex; eye small ; mouth very large, 
the lower jaw projecting; supplementary maxillary small. Teeth, as usual in Epine- 
plielus, in very broad bands ; three or four very small canines in front of each jaw; no 
*Note. — L questioue d’ altroude se I suddetti caratteri possono dar luogo ad istituire una specie 
novella, o se sieno effetto di una seiuplice auomalia di forma delle preacenuate due specie (caninus, 
cernioides). lo non oso pronunciarmi in proposito ; ed nuicamente in via provvisoria e per iudicarne 
la speciality, mi faccio coraggio di denominarla Serranus o Cerna sicana, in allusione al luogo ove fu 
presa.” 
