NO. 8 WADE : NEW FISHES OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC 227 



wider than snout length, 4.66 to 4.78 in head. Snout obtuse, scaled, 

 shorter than eye, 4.78 to 4.94 in head. Opercle and preopercle scaled. 

 Posterior edge of preopercle finely serrate, serrations slightly enlarged at 

 angle. Ventral edge of preopercle smooth. Opercular spines three, 

 middle spine largest. 



Maxillary teeth in narrow bands, outer teeth enlarged, widely spaced, 

 and bluntly conical, inner teeth small, pointed and close-set. Maxillary 

 teeth not crossing symphysis of upper jaw, anterior ends of maxillary 

 bands separated by an interspace equal to one-half the pupil of eye. A 

 small, recurved canine tooth, one on each side, at anterior end of maxil- 

 laiy bands. Mandibular teeth similar to maxillary teeth ; two enlarged 

 canines, one on each side, at front of lower jaw. Vomerine teeth in a 

 diamond-shaped patch of small, pointed, close-set teeth. Palatine teeth 

 in an elongate band of small, pointed teeth. Tongue with a few scattered, 

 blunt teeth. Gills 4, a slit behind last gill-arch. Gill-rakers present, 

 close-set, long, and slender, 27 on lower limb of first gill-arch. Pseudo- 

 branchiae present. Branchiostegal rays 7. 



Body color in alcohol light olive buff. Sides of body dorsally to mid- 

 line of sides with the scale pattern irregularly outlined in a cross-hatched 

 pattern of dark olive buff. Head body color, shaded slightly darker on 

 opercle. An irregular, dark band extends anteriorly from front edge of 

 eye to symphysis of lower jaw. All fins pale. 



Although widely distributed in tropical and temperate seas, only one 

 other species of this genus, Anthias asperilinguis, is known from the 

 Western Hemisphere. The new species described here, Anthias gordensis, 

 is the first record of this genus from the Eastern Pacific. It differs from 

 A. asperilinguis in having smaller scales, longer snout, smaller eye, and in 

 not having the outer rays of the caudal lobes produced into long filaments. 

 From A. kelloggi, a Hawaiian species, it differs in the smaller scales, 

 longer ventral rays, one less dorsal spine, and more deeply emarginate 

 caudal fin. From the numerous Indo-Pacific species A. gordensis differs 

 in having fewer dorsal rays and other characters too numerous to mention 

 among the individual species. 



