REVIEW OF THE SERRANID^ 
363 
lateral canines. Nostrils round, near together, the posterior largest. Preopercle 
without salient angle, but rather coarsely serrate ; two or three very coarse, irregular 
teeth just below angle, these turned downward much as in Epinephelus mystacinus. 
Opercular spine moderate. 
Gill-rakers very short and thick, x -f 12, the longest not twice as high as broad 
and all very coarsely toothed ; preorbital moderate, nearly as broad as the small eye. 
Scales moderate, not very rough ; dorsal fin rather deeply notched, the second 
spine highest, nearly three times the height of the first, but little higher than the 
third; soft dorsal high; caudal rounded; anal fin high, rounded, the spines moder- 
ate, graduated; pectorals short. 
Color, in spirits, plain dark brown; fins all darker; a dark mustache along the 
edge of the maxillary. In the young specimen the caudal fin is abruptly paler. Head 
iu length of body; depth 2f. D. X, 14; A. Ill, 9. Scales 86 (series). Second 
dorsal spine 2f in head; secoud anal spine 6. Pectoral If; maxillary 2; eye 7; snout, 
3§; interorbital area, 4f; soft dorsal rays 2| in head. 
Since writing the above we have examined a specimen of Epinephelus nigritus fTom 
Pensacola which itossesses but ten dorsal spines. We are unable to distinguish it 
from E. merus. If the number of dorsal spines prove to be constantly ten in Brazilian 
or European specimens this character may distinguish E. merus or sicanus as a distinct 
species or subspecies. It would appear that the number eleven is not constant in 
northern specimens, as one of about ten examined has ten spines. 
Genus X.— PEOMICROPS. 
Promicrops (Gill MSS.) Poey, Synopsis Piscium Cubensium, 287, 1868 (guasa). 
Itaiara Yaillaut & Bocourt, Mission Scientiiique an Mesique, 1875, 90 (itaiara). 
Type. — 8erramis guasa Poey = Perea guttata Liunteus. 
Etymology. — /7/)o, before ; small ; a>4>, eye, in allusion to the shortness of 
the anterior part of the cranium. 
A full account of the single known species of this genus is given by Jordan and 
Swain in the paper already quoted. 
ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF PROMICROPS. 
a. Color olivaceons with darker cross-shades, which fade with age ; head and body with round black 
spots; second anal spine as long as third; profile slightly concave above eye; interorbital 
area flattish, very broad, its width 5 in head; canine teeth very small; dorsal spines low and 
strong ; the third, fourth, and fifth subequal, about 4 in head ; scales moderate (about 95), 
Guttatus, 40. 
40. PROMICROPS GUTTATUS. 
(Guasa; Jew-fish; Merou; Jacob Eveetzen.) 
Cugupuguacii MarograiYe, Hist. Brazil, etc., 1648, 169 (Brazil) ; Willoughby, Hist. Pise., 1686, 303, with 
plate (after Maregrave). 
/faiam Marograve, Hist. Brazil, etc., 1648 (Brazil), 
Perea guttata Liumeus, Syst. Nat., 1758, X, 292 (after Maregrave, Willoughby, etc., excl. syn. Catesby). 
ASerraMMsifaiaraLichtenstein, ActaBerolin., 18i0-’21, 278 (Brazil) ; Cuvier and Valenciennes, II, 1828,376 
(Brazil) ; Peters, Berliner Monatsber., 1865, 110 (identification with S. galeus M. & H. ) ; Stein- 
dachner, Ichth. Beitr., V, 127, 1876. 
Serranua (Itaiara) itaiara Vaillant and Bocourt, Miss. Sci. au Mexique., 1875, 90, pi. ii, f. 4 (identifica- 
tion with S, quinquefaaciatus (Brazil ; T.auesco ; Mexico). 
