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CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. Il8 



Family TETRAODONTID^. 



191. Spheroides annulatus (Jenyns) var. politus Girard. 

 Tambor. 



Very common everywhere in the Astillero. Specimens 

 entirely smooth, and those variously prickly, were ob- 

 tained: prickly ones, both young and old, were found, 

 but no very young which were smooth. There seems to 

 be no specific difference recognizable among these. All 

 of them, however, differ from specimens taken farther 

 south in the larger size of the dark spots and in a some- 

 what greater tendency to smoothness of the body. All 

 of these, smooth or rough, seem to belong to the form 

 called politus, which is probably the northern form or 

 representative of Spheroides annulatus. 



192. Spheroides lobatus (Steindachner). Botete. 

 Rather common in the estuary with the preceding, 



reaching a smaller size, the largest seen not over six 

 inches in length. The species was first described by 

 Steindachner from Altata, but until its recent discovery 

 in the Albatross collections it was confounded with 

 Spheroides angusticeps (Jenyns) , from which it is prob- 

 ably distinct, although the latter, entirely smooth and 

 uniform dusky in color, ma}' prove to be the adult form. 

 In both species the two small black flaps on the shoulder 

 are present, and in both the interorbital space is very 

 narrow and concave. Specimens taken at La Paz by 

 Mr. James A. Richardson are intermediate in color, but 

 retain the prickles. 



In life grass green, with maroon colored spots and 

 markings. 



