II 



FISHES OF SINALOA. 487 



but much smaller, scattered over posterior half of body; 

 most numerous about the other spines. Gill -rakers ex- 

 tremely small and weak. Caudal evenly lunate. Pecto- 

 ral not falcate; anterior profile concave before eye then 

 convex, the short conic snout projecting; lower jaw in- 

 cluded. Preopercle obliquely placed, its bony edge 

 slightly roughened. 



Color in life olive green, slightly paler below, every- 

 where evenly covered with small round black spots, close- 

 set and not confluent, the largest about equal to nostril. 

 Caudal peduncle and tin abruptly bright yellow, unspotted. 

 Other fins colored like the body and similarly spotted, the 

 spots more sparse, the edges dusky with few spots. Large 

 caudal spines whitish, their bases black; other spines all 

 black. 



Among the young two different styles of coloration 

 were noticed, but all probably belong to the same spe- 

 cies: 



1. Specimens with the caudal yellow are more dusky, 

 the dark spots much smaller and more distinct than in 

 the others. Ground color of back light steel blue gray, 

 lighter below head. Caudal canary yellow, clouded with 

 dark at base, the yellow running forward on caudal pe- 

 duncle. 



2. Specimens with the caudal white have ground color 

 lighter, more milky in general, much more silvery below 

 eve, the silvery forming an irregular triangular patch on 

 breast and opercle; caudal gray and white, black at base, 

 white running forward slightly on caudal peduncle ; dark 

 spots on body forming pale reticulations, above lateral 

 line white patches. Body deeper than in yellow -tailed 

 specimens. 



Both have the first dorsal and anal black at base, other- 

 wise mostly white: white line bounding the back; dark 



