804 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Top of head to middle of eyes, opercles and upper part 

 of preopercles closely covered with small rough scales; 

 head otherwise naked; body above lateral line completely 

 covered with ctenoid scales, not very regular in size, ar- 

 ranged in about 67 series; lower half of body covered to 

 within a short distance of anal with about 50 oblique plate- 

 like folds of skin, the posterior edges of which are finely 

 and sharply serrate, the pores of lateral line are situated 

 in the upper end of these folds; pectoral base, bellv and 

 a narrow space along base of anal, naked; fins, with the 

 exception of pectoral, which has a few rough scales on 

 the rays, naked. 



Dorsal spines slender, the first one inserted in advance 

 of pectoral base, directly over the upper end of gill-open- 

 ing, the fin somewhat round in outline, the spines not va- 

 rying greatly in length, with the exception of two or three 

 on each side; soft dorsal a little lower than spinous, the 

 rays subequal, its base is a little shorter than the base of 

 first dorsal, and slightly longer than the length of head; 

 ventral fins long, their tips reaching past front of anal fin, 

 their length equal to the distance from snout to edge of 

 preopercle, the pubic bone very prominent; pectoral fins 

 long and curved upward, the middle rays the longest, 

 reaching far past tips of ventrals and front of anal to the 

 space between dorsals; the ends of lower rays free, the 

 width of the fin at its base is contained three times in the 

 length of the head; caudal rounded. 



Color in spirits blackish, with traces of 4 or 5 darker 

 cross-bars on back, sides below lateral line mottled, faint 

 dark spots along lateral line, more conspicuous posterior- 

 ly : a dark bar half as wide as eye. running from eye 

 downward across cheek to anterior end of interopercle; 

 bordered on each side by a light streak, a similar bor- 

 dered bar running across top of head, slightly turning 



