Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 2391 



from anal and dorsal; lateral line not reaohino; soft dorsal. Olive brown, 

 lighter below ; back and upper half of sides irregularly marked with about 

 6 distinct dark-brown crossbars, these uniting at their lower edges and 

 forming a, continuous line from head to base of caudal; the bars nearly 

 confluent on the back at l)ase of dorsal fin ; a dark lateral band nearly as 

 wide as eye from opercle to base of caudal, containing 5 or 6 light-yel- 

 lowish sjiots corresponding to the pale interspaces along the back; fins 

 dusky, anal margined with black ; head with a dark spot behind each eye, 

 and 2 smaller blotches in the median line, 1 immediately l)ehind the eyes, 

 the other a short distance in front of dorsal. Pacific coast of Mexico, from 

 Mazatlan to Panama; rather common. The specimens here described from 

 Mazatlan. (irevis, short; pinna, a fin.) 



Blennius brevipinnis, Gunther, Cat. Fish., ni, 226, 1861, Pacific coast Central America 

 (Coll. Capt. John M. Dow) ; one specimen wrongly attributed to Hawaiian Islands. 



888. CHASM ODES, Cuvier &. Valenciennes. 



Ghasmodes, Cuviee & Valenciennes, Hi.st. Nat. Poiss., xi, 295, 1836 (bosquianus) . 

 Blenitrachus, Swainson, Claas'n Fishes, etc., n, 78, 274, 1839 (quadrifasciatus) . 



Body oblong, compressed, naked ; head triangular in profile, the snout 

 somewhat pointed; mouth large, with lateral cleft, the maxillary usually, 

 but not always, extending to beyond eye; premaxillaries not protractile; 

 teeth in a single series, long and slender, comb-like, confined to the front 

 of each jaw; no canines; cirri very small or wanting; gill openings very 

 small, their lower edge above the middle of the base of the pectorals ; lat- 

 eral line incomplete. Fins as in Blennius. American. The species with 

 smaller mouth approach Hypsoblennius, which genus is not far separated 

 from Ghasmodes. (xadjucuSTiy, yawning.) 

 a. Dorsal and anal free from caudal. 



&. Anal rays 18 or 19; body not banded. jenkinsi, 2741. 



bb. Anal rays 15; body with 4 dark cross bands. quadkifasclitus, 2742. 



aa. Dorsal joined to base of caudal. 



c. Mouth moderate, the maxillary not extending to posterior border of eye, 2J 

 in head. saburr.e, 2743. 



cc. Mouth large, maxillary reaching posterior border of eye. 



NOVEITLINEATUS, 2744. 



ccc. Mouth very large, the maxillary extending to beyond eye. 



BOSQUIANUS, 2745. 



2741. CHASMODES JENKINSI (Jordan & Evermann). 



Head 3^ (4 in total) ; depth 4 (5). D. XII, 17; A. 18 or 19; eye 4 to 5 in 

 head. Body more robust than in related species, resembling Rypsoblen- 

 tiiiis; head large, gently rounded in profile, the snout steep, 4 in head; 

 interorbital space narrow, grooved; orbital tentacle (male) much as in 

 Hiipsohlennius (jUberti, about Sin head, branched, the branches usually 4; 

 mouth much larger than in Hypsoblennius, the maxillary 2f to 3 in head, 

 reaching to below posterior margin of eye; teeth even, comb-like; gill 

 opening 2 in head, extending downward nearly to lower edge of pectoral, 

 much larger than in Ghasmodes saburrce. Dorsal little notched, the spines 



