Jordayi and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 1731 



Subgenus SPHEROIDES. 

 2145. SPHEROIDES AXGCSTICEPS (Jenyns). 



Head 2i; depth 3A (when not inflated). D. 8; A. 7. Body compara- 

 tively elongate, the snout very long, concave in profile, a little longer than 

 rest of head; eye large, 2 to 3 in snout. A well-marked pair of small 

 dermal flaps, black in color, 1 on each side of median line of back, behind 

 the occiput, and just behind gill opening, the two close together; inter- 

 orbital area very narrow, deeply concave, channel-like, not so broad as 

 eye, the width of its bony part 6i in snout, about 12 in head; supra- 

 orbital bono prominent. Sides with a i^v; small whitish dermal cirri or 

 flattish flaps, irregular in size and position, sometimes wanting; our adult 

 examples (Galapagos Islands) entirely smooth, the skin everywhere 

 rough velvety; nostrils tubular, with 2 lateral openings near the summit. 

 Caudal gently rounded, the middle rays longest ; a slight trace of fold on 

 caudal peduncle ; pectoral broad, rounded, the upper rays longest. Skin 

 on back and sides tending to form oblique lengthwise wrinkles. Color of 

 adult, dark smoky gray, nearly uniform, the belly scarcely pale ; base of 

 fins dusky ; no trace of lateral blotches. Pacific coast, from La Paz to the 

 Galapagos Islands; rather rare. Here described from 2 adult examples (9 

 and 10 inches long) from Chatham Island of the Galapagos. One of these 

 has the eye larger, the snout shorter, and the interorbital space much 

 deeper than the other, a difi'erence perhaps sexual. Both are uniformly 

 colored and without prickles, {angustus, narrow; ceps, head.) 



Tetrodon angiaticeps, jExrxs, Voyage Beagle, Fishes, 154, pi. 28. 1842. Galapagos Islands 

 (Coll. Charles Darwin); large specimens in poor condition, the .-ikiu not prickly; 

 ' Gl-.\THER,Cat., Ann. 287, 1870; Jordan & Gh^beet, Proc. F. S. Xat. Mus. 1882, 631. 

 Anchisomus angusticeps, Richahdsox, Voyage Herald, Fishes, 159, 1854. 

 Sphceroides angusticeps, Jordan & Edwards, I. c, 236. 



2146. SPHEROIDES LOBATUS (Steindachner). 



(BOTETE.) 



Head about 3; depth about 4; eye moderate, about 5 in head. D. 7; A. 

 7. General form of Spheroides angusticeps, the body elongate, the head 

 long, the long snout 2 in head, its profile concave; interorbital space nar- 

 row, deeply concave, the width of its bony portion 4 to 5 in snout, 7 to 10 

 in head; nostrils small, papilliform, each with 2 openings, essentially as 

 in SpTieroides spengleri ; a slight trace of fold on caudal peduncle; black 

 post-nuchal dermal flaps sometimes present, these farther apart than in 

 S. angusticeps, and often wanting; sides with flattish dermal flaps, pale in 

 color, rather numerous, but irregularly scattered. A rhombic saddle of 

 sharp 2-rooted spines on back, from nape to behind gill opening, thence 

 back to near front of dorsal ; a small patch in posterior part of gill open- 

 ing ; belly velvety, with rather sharp, partly embedded spines from throat 

 to vent; head, sides, and caudal peduncle without spines. Caudal short, 

 rounded. \l in head; dorsal small; pectoral broad truncate, the upper 

 rays scarcely longer than the lower. Color dark green, usually bright, 



