314 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1884. 



On examination of the skeletons of the three species, S. paru, 

 triacanthus, and simillimus, I find the first interhsemal greatly 

 developed in each of the species. The occipital crest is very 

 high in S. paru ; it is medium in S. triacanthus^ and low in S. 

 simillimus. The haemal and neural spines are more developed 

 in S. paru than in the other species, thus corresponding to the 

 form of the body. The vertebrae in S. triacanthus are somewhat 

 more numerous than in the others, as stated in the analytical 

 key. 



3. Stromatens simillimns. 



Poronotus simillimus Ayres, Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1860, 84 (San 

 Francisco) ; Cooper, Nat. Wealth Cal., 1868, 489. 



Stromatevs simillimus Rosa Smith, Fish. San Diego, 1880 (San Diego) ; 

 Jordan and Jouy, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1881, 13 (San Diego ; 

 Santa Barbara) ; Jordan and Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1881, 

 46 ("Entire Pacific Coast, common, but most abundant from Santa 

 Barbara to San Francisco"); Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1881, 

 265 (name only) ; Jordan and Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 1882, 451. 



Habitat. — Puget Sound to San Diego. 



This species is common along the Pacific Coast, where it 

 replaces S. triacanthus of the Atlantic Coast. 



4. Stromateus medius. 



Stromateus mediusTeters, Berliner Monatsbericht, 1869, 707 (Mazatlan) ; 

 Liitken, Spolia Atlantica, 1880, 521 ; Jordan, Proc. Phila. Acad. 

 Nat. Sci., 1883, 284 (original type). 



This species is now only known from the original type in the 

 Museum at Berlin, erroneously described by Dr. Peters. In 

 1882 numerous specimens were collected at Panama by Prof. C, 

 H. Gilbert, but all of these have been since destroyed by fire. 



5. Stromatens maculatas. 



Stromateus maculatus Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., ix, 

 399, 1833 (Valparaiso); Jenyns, "Zool. Beagle, Fishes," 74, 1839; 

 Gay, "Hist. Chile, Zool.," ii, 248, Atl. Ictiol. lam., 3 bis, f. 1; 

 Glinther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., ii, 398, 1860. 



Habitat. — Coast of Chili. 



Head ^ 4^ in length of body ; depth 2^ ; D. VII, 43 ; A. Ill, 39. 



Scales in lateral line about 160. Body ovate, compressed, 



^ The description of Stromateus maculatus was added by Seth E. Meek, 

 who alone is responsible for it. 



