no. 1592. FISHES FROM GULF OF MEXICO—JORDAN AND DICKERSON. 1% 
Dorsal spines, flexible, the longest 12 im head, the first two consider- 
ably thicker than the remaining spines; anal spine somewhat curved, 
12 in head, 14 in base of soft dorsal. Lateral line pores, each with 
4 simple spreading branches. ! | 
Color silvery, a broad dorsal area from snout to base of caudal 
covered with brown dots as in B. armata and B. ensifera; also brown 
dots aggregated along the sides in the middle of the scales forming 
horizontal lateral streaks; spinous dorsal black at tip; caudal and 
soft dorsal dusky. 
The collection contains 3 specimens 8 to 94 inches in length. They 
were obtained by Doctor Jordan in 1898, in the market of the City 
of Mexico, having been received from Vera Cruz. 
Bairdiella vere-crucis is very close to B. armata, which it represents 
in the Gulf of Mexico, and with which it has been hitherto con- 
OS ROSE aN) BN 705 
® SOR Ree 
PEO — ee 
Deane s 
5 oiinioyes aS. 
PEIN OSS Oe 
KER) ORK) ee 
ORONO oS 
ae 
uy, 
CR ea ee 
Sees _ 
Fic. 1.—BAIRDIELLA VER#-CRUCIS. 
founded. From B. armata it differs in the main as follows: It has 
a somewhat less long and pointed snout, and larger teeth; the dorsal 
spines, except the first two, are relatively frail and flexible instead 
of robust and stiff; the lateral line pores have 4 simple spreading 
branches, whereas those of B. armata have 4 branches which extend 
more or less horizontally and are branched again. The preopercular 
spines are stronger; the second anal spine is somewhat curved and pro- 
portionally longer (14 in base of soft dorsal instead of 14 or less). 
The gill-rakers are 9+16 instead of 7+11. (This comparison is 
made on four authentic specimens of Bairdiella armata from Panama, 
in the Stanford University Museum). 
Bairdiella vere-crucis differs from B. ronchus, which it somewhat 
resembles, in the essential characteristics of the teeth, 1. e., the teeth 
in the lower jaw are many and closely set in 4 or 5 rows in front, 
Proc, N. M. vol. xxxiv—08 2 
