Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 2395 



spine "6^; longest (tenth) dorsal ray 2; longest (fifteenth) anal ray 1\\ 

 ventrals If; longest peetoral ray \\ to If; eaudal \\. Robust, moder- 

 ately compressed, with wide heavy head and short, Iduntly rounded 

 snout, the anterior profile of which is nearly vertical. In shape and 

 general appearance much resembling Hypsoblenn'nis ijilherti. INIouth very 

 wide, horizontal, short, the maxillaries reaching vertical from hinder 

 edge of piipil, 3 to 3i in head. Teeth, as usual in this group, the poste- 

 rior not enlarged or canine-like. Nostrils with slightly elevated mar- 

 gins, scarcely tu))ular, the hinder edge of anterior nostril produced into 

 a conspicuous laciniate flap, about | as long as the diameter of orbit. A 

 similar but larger orbital cirrus, divided nearly to the base into (5 or 8 

 slender filaments. Interorbital space deeply grooved, without median 

 ridge, opening posteriorly into the deep transverse groove which sepa- 

 rates the orbital region from the somewhat swollen occiput, its width 

 li eye. The mucous canals of head give off transverse branches which 

 open by numerous pores. These thickly beset the snout, subocular region, 

 top of head, preopercle, and upper portion of opercle. Width of gill slit 

 eiiualing or slightly exceeding I length of head, confined to area above 

 lower base of pectorals. First dorsal spine over margin of preopercle ; spi- 

 nous dorsal low, of nearly uniform height, much lower than second dorsal, 

 the spines rather strong at base, with weak refiexed tips ; membrane of last 

 dorsal ray joined to extreme base of rudimentary caudal rays; aiuil low, 

 rising slightly posteriorly, leaving a short free interval Itetween its last 

 ray and caudal. Lateral line strongly developed anteriorly foi' a distance 

 equaling length of head ; from that point it is only faintly visible, declin- 

 ing abruptly to middle of sides, along w^hich it may be traced to base of 

 caudal; the anterior ijortion gives off numerous pairs of short transverse 

 lines, each of which ends in a pore ; no pores or lines are visible posteriorly. 

 Blackish, without sharp markings, the sides with irregular light blotches, 

 some of which are subcircular in outline and contain 1 or more black cen- 

 tral specks; the light markings near the back elongate and vertically 

 placed, faintly outlining dark bars of the ground color; a vertical black 

 blotch on cheek behind eye; lower parts lighter; no distinct bars on 

 head ; fins all blackish, the anal, the ventrals, the lower caudal and pectoral 

 rays deeper black; anal and caudal margined with white, some of the 

 dorsal rays narrowly tipped with w^iite; tentacles whitish. Two speci-" 

 mens, 4 and 4^ inches long, from Panama Bay. (Gilbert.) (KauAof, 

 stem; rtovi, foot.) 



Homeithes eaulopus, Gilbert MS., Fishes of Panama, Panama. (Coll. Gilbert. Type, 

 No. 5623, L. S. Jr. Univ. Mus.) 



890. SCARTICHTHYS, Jordan & Evermann, new genus. 



<Scar<es, Jordan & Evermann, CheckList Fishes, 471, 1896 (rubropunctatus) ; preoccupied 



by Scarteg, Swainson, a genus of mammals. 

 Scartichthys, Jordan & Evermann, new genus (rubripunctatiis). 



Body elongate, slowly declining to the caudal. Head obliquely com- 

 pressed, oblong, the profile more or less vertical. Eyes lateral, closely 

 approximated, situated at the angle of the profile with the postocular 



