448 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 76 



a very large species, probably our Mycteroperca venadb- 

 rum. 



Head 3 in length: depth 3,',, : dorsal XI, 16; anal III, 

 1 1 . Scales 100, small, smooth, imbedded, difficult to count. 

 Eye 6 2 /i in head; maxillary 2^; pectoral 1^3; longest anal 

 ray 1% : longest dorsal 2; longest dorsal spine 3^. Cau- 

 dal upper lobe t.% : ventrals 2. 



Body deep, robust; anterior profile rather steep and 

 straight; lower jaw moderately projecting. Small canines 

 in both jaws; preopercle with notch and a salient angle. 

 Gill-rakers about 154-25, rather stout, the longest about 

 7^ in head; snout 3*^. Posterior nostril oblong, 4 times 

 as long as anterior. Dorsal spines low, the third and 

 fourth but little longer than the last. Dorsal fin pointed 

 behind; anal very high, triangular in form; anterior margin 

 convex, posterior concave. Sixth soft ray very high, 

 reaching far beyond tip of last, which is short; spines 

 graduated. Caudal fin broad, on a broad peduncle, un- 

 equally lunate; upper lobe longer and broader than lower. 

 Pectorals rounded. 



Color olive gray, paler below, clouded with dark above. 

 Everywhere covered with small roundish dark olive or 

 bronzed spots so thick as to obscure the ground color: 

 very close set on head and back, small and distinct, not 

 larger than anterior nostril, growing larger and less thick- 

 set below: posteriorly still larger, often half diameter of 

 pupil, and tending to run together forming elongated 

 blotches and vermiculations. Dorsal similarly spotted with 

 spots which grow faint on soft rays ; pectoral, anal and 

 caudal like soft dorsal. All soft fins growing dusky toward 

 margin. Soft dorsal, anal and caudal very narrowly edged 

 with pale. Pectoral with broader pale margin: ventral 

 like pectoral, pale edge narrower. When seen from back 

 an appearance of about 10 very faint dusky cross-shades, 

 probably very conspicuous in young. 



