Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 851 



which becomes brighter after death : everywhere much punctate with 

 black, the dots coarse; sides aud especially back with purple reflections. 

 Top and side of head coppery, a curved bright silvery streak from tip of 

 snout below eye and around it. ceasing opposite middle of pupil ; a ver- 

 tical silver streak on edge of opercle and extending out on spine; head 

 yellowish, upper tip reddish and lower with throat silvery ; dorsal brown, 

 clouded with reddish and dark ; dark brown near edge, then a series of 

 grayish clouds, roundish irregular whitish spots at its base : second dor- 

 sal reddish, its ray pale, the first two black ; the caudal red, base pale, 

 the upper and lower rays dark yellowish, darkest in young, the dark 

 extending on peduncle above aud below ; anal spines whitish, the soft 

 rays birch red, the last ones pale, the first soft rays dark ; ventral reddish, 

 the spine and first soft ray whitish, the first ray dark red ; when the fins 

 are closed it seems reddish edged with whitish or yellowish and with a 

 blackish line. The dark is fainter in larger specimens. Very common 

 in rock pools about the Gulf of California, rarely exceeding 8 inches in 

 length. Mazatlan to Panama ; a small species abundant in rock pools. 

 (suhorhitalis, below the eye.) 



Holocenlnim ^jborbitale, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sii. Phila., 1803, 8ti, Cape San Lucas. (Coll. 

 Xantus.) 



1236. HOLOCENTRUS (ORISCI'S. Poey. 



Head 2* (3i) ; depth 2| (3J). D. XI, 14 ; A. IV, 9 ; scales 3-42-8. Eye 

 very large, 2} in head ; snout very short, 2 in eye. Body shaped as in R. 

 suhorbitalis, a Pacific Coast species, to which it is nearly related. Mouth 

 small, maxillary reaching past anterior margin of pupil, 3 in head. 

 Width of interorbital space not as long as maxillary, 3*^ in head ; bones of 

 toj) of head marked as in Holocentrus suborbitalis, except that a few of the 

 upper occipital ridges are serrated. Spines on preopercle, opercle, inter- 

 opercle, preorbital and suborbital, as in the western species ; spines on 

 subopercle a few more; scales on body as in ascensionis or sHborhitalis; 

 nuchal scale as large as in the latter ; five rows of scales on cheek, none 

 on opercle. Spinous dorsal moderately high ; first spine 3 in head ; third 

 spine longest, 2J in head; soft dorsal higher than spines; not falcate, as 

 in ascensionis ; longest ray If in head; third anal spine longest, almost 2 

 in head ; longest ray If in head, not falcate; pectorals 13 in head; ven- 

 trals li ; its outer rays not produced, about f diameter of eye from vent ; 

 upper caudal lobe apparently not much produced, 1? in head. Color in 

 spirits pale silvery, edges of scales showing bright steel-blue reflections j 

 a reddish shade above lateral line; bands of dots following rows of 

 scales, those below lateral line widest and most diff"used : no markings on 

 head with the exception of dots : spinous dorsal dusky ; a large black 

 spot between first and third spine : membrane between bands of posterior 

 spines with dusky spots ; a row of whitish angular spots on the anterior 

 part of membrane between each two spines, those between the third and 

 sixth spines longest, the two anterior well developed below the large 

 black spot ; other fins pale ; upper angle of pectoral with a group of dots ; 

 black blotches between first and second and second and third spines. 



