428 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 56 



78. Scomberomorus sierra Jordan & Starks, n. sp. 

 Sierra. 



Rather common in the harbor at Mazatlan, numerous 

 specimens being taken; also found by Dr. Gilbert at 

 Panama. This is not valued as a food fish, little attention 

 being paid to it by fishermen. This, however, may be 

 due to the lack of appreciation of good fishes by the people 

 of Mazatlan, who have not learned the art of properly 

 cooking any fish. 



This species is very closely allied to its Atlantic cog- 

 nate, Scomberomorus maculatus. It differs in the slightly 

 more backward insertion of its soft dorsal, in its colora- 

 tion, the spots in maculatus being elliptical and fewer in 

 number, and perhaps in the fewer pores in the lateral 

 line (175 in maculatus). In Scomberomorus maculatus the 

 soft dorsal is inserted one eye's diameter before anal. 



Head 4^ ; depth equal head ; dorsal XVIII-15-IX ; anal 

 II-15-IX; maxillary 1^ in head; eye 5 in head; pec- 

 toral 1% ; ventral 3^2 ; dorsal and anal lobes equal, i3^ 

 in head. 



Body elongate, its dorsal and ventral outlines about 

 equal; profile straight from snout to dorsal; head small 

 and pointed ; mouth large, oblique; jaws equal; maxillary 

 reaching to posterior edge of orbit. Teeth large, com- 

 pressed and sharp, 26 to 32 in each jaw; gill-rakers 

 4-f-ii. Soft dorsal inserted almost directly over front of 

 anal; lateral line undulating, about 165 pores. 



Silvery, above bluish, sides with numerous round brown- 

 ish spots ; three rows of spots below lateral line and one 

 above. Spinous dorsal white at base, black above; soft 

 dorsal tinged with yellowish; its margins black; anal 

 white; posterior face of pectoral entirely black, anterior 

 face yellowish with blackish borders; caudal black. 



Another example supposed to be a male has five rows 



