GILBERT AND STAKES — FISHES OF PANAMA BAY 189 



Family GOBIESOCID^. 



333. Gobiesox rhodospilus GUnther. 



The types of this species are from Panama, but it was not seen by us. It is 

 recorded by Boulenger (1898-9, Vol. XIV, p. 8) also from the Bay of Santa Helena, 

 near Guayaquil. 



Gobiesox gyrinus Jordan & Evermann (1898, p. 2331) is founded on Giinther's 

 description of specimens in the British Museum, to which he has applied the name 

 Gobiesox niidus Bloch (see Giinther, 18616, p. 502). These specimens were partly 

 from the West Indies, partly from the Island of Cardon (misspelled Cordova, fide 

 Giinther, 1868, p. 381) on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, and are probably not con- 

 specific. Giinther's description (copied by Jordan and Evermann) was doubtless 

 based upon the adult specimens from the West Indies, not upon the very immature 

 Nicaraguan specimens. 



Family BLENNIID.E. 

 334. Malacoctenus delalandi {Cuvier <& Valanciennes). 



Not seen by us; known from Mazatlan to Guayaquil (Boulenger, 1898-9, Vol. 

 XIV, p. 8). It is recorded by Giinther (1861 a, p. 371) from the "Pacific coast 

 of Central America," where it was collected by Captain Dow. 



335. Mnierpes macrocephalus {Giinther). 



This species has been taken several times at Panama, but was not seen by us. 

 It is recorded by Boulenger (1899, p. 4) from Flamenco Island, Panama Bay. 



336. Auchenopterus monophthalmus Giinther. 



A very abundant species in the tide-pools at Panama. 



The sexes are readily distinguished by the coloration, and by the size of the 

 mouth. In females, the lips, mandibles, and the lower portions of the cheeks and 

 opercles are marbled or finely blotched with dark; the ventrals, the lower pectoral 

 rays and the caudal are cross-barred. In males, all of these regions are plain, 

 excej^t the caudal, which may be faintly barred. In females, the mouth is small, the 

 distance from tip of snout to tip of maxillary not exceeding (in adults) that from 

 tip of snout to posterior edge of pujiil. In males, the length of maxillary as meas- 

 ured above, exceeds the distance from tip of snout to posterior edge of orbit. 



The first three dorsal rays form a detached fin, its posterior membrane joining 

 fourth spine at or immediately above the base. The three spines are flexible, not 

 pungent at tip, much weaker than the succeeding spines. The fourth spine becomes 

 abruptly stiff and strong. So slender are the tips of the first and second spines that 

 it is difficult to detect them where they terminate in the membrane. The first and 

 second spines are about equal, and are somewhat longer than any of the spines in 



(85) January 8, 190-1. 



