GILBERT AND STAUKS — FISJIES UF I'ANAMA BAY 21 



Tlic iKirrow pointed snout, and lai-j:;e convcxly cnrvcd luunlli cuMilmiL' to 

 <;ive tlu- latin- a oonsiderahlo lateral ckd't, wlion seen iVoni llic side. 'I'Ih' leii<,'tli 

 ol' the Iioad is very constant, o,' to oi\ in lenj;tli, wlicn nieasiirod Ui niar;,dn of 

 opercniar nuinluane. Eyu :', to 3i in its distance from tip of snout. Tlie upper jaw 

 protrudes beyond tlic^ lower for al)ont tliree-fonrtiis the widlii (if tlu' tluek upper lip. 

 The maxillary barbels extend b(!yt)nd base of pectoral s[)ine, but not beyond its Itasal 

 third. I'ectoral pore variable, usually minute and detected with dillieulty, occa- 

 sionally an obvious slil. 



The anal iin is very loni;-, with perfectly straight mar<.^in, the rays declining 

 regularly from the longest to the last. Five specimens iiave respectively 23, 24, 24, 

 24 and 2o anal rays, including rudiments. The anus is anteriorly placed, its distance 

 from base of ventrals ecpialing half its distance from front of anal Iin. All but one 

 of the speeinieiis are females, and have the inner edge of the ventrals and the upper 

 side of the iiiiiei' rays covered l)y a thickened fold of skin. 



Light brownish in life, with blue and green reflections; the lower portion of 

 the sides coarsely punctate with brown. The fins are all dusky toward tips, the ba.sal 

 portions dull orange yellow. JNIaxillary barbels blackish, the others white. The 

 specimens answer well to the descrijition (»f the types. 



It is evident that the relative smoothness of the liead cannot serve to distin- 

 guish tlio nominal genera Gakich(h)js and Hc.rtnieinntichfhi/s. The character is 

 de|>endent partly on variation in the granulation of the bones, [lartl}' on the amount 

 of thickening of the integument. Many species frmn dilTerent .sections of the group 

 show similar individual variations, according to which tlu^y might l)e placi'd in one 

 or the other genus. Tlie American spc^cies with villiform teeth and comparatively 

 narrow crescentic palatine patches will be ranged under the oldest name, Gnkichllujs. 



31. Galeichthys peruvianus {Liilken). 



This rare species was not seen. Described originally from Callao, it has been 

 recorded from Panama by Steindachner and by Gilbert, and from Altata, Mexico, 

 by Steindachner. It has not been procured by any of the numerous investigators 

 in northern iNIexico. 



32. Galeichthys eigenmanni, sp. nov. 



Pi.ATK IV, Fn;. 7. 



This species, found in abundance at Panama, and idt'utilied with d. seemanni 



by Eigenniaini and others, seems to be an uudcstTiiied species. G. seemanni is from 



some unknown locality in Central America, not improbably from the Atlantic side. 



It is described (Giinther, 18G4 r;, p. 147) as having the top of the hend Jinel;/ 



granular; the occipital process with a prominent ridge; vomerine [)atches of teeth 



ividehj separated; and particularly as having the fontanel reaching to the base of the 



occipital process. Dr. Jordan (1883, p. 282) has re-examined the type in the 



British Museum for this last character, and has found it as described. In all these 



respects the Panama specimens differ strongly, as shown below. 



^^ ] Uucb 3, 1903. 



