44 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 
strongly concave ; snout rather pointed and i)rojecting at tip, but not 
very long, its acumimition being confined to its anterior half. Inter- 
ocular space narrow, deeply and uniformly concave. Eyes large, longer 
than spiracles. Supraocular ridge prominent. Spines on body rather 
stronger than in related species. Four or five over the eye ; five or six 
(rarely fewer) along the median line, in front of the middle of the back. 
A series of very small spines along the middle of the back, changing 
opposite the middle of the ventrals into a series of rather strong hooked 
spines. Tail with a strong lateral series in females only, as usual in the 
genus. Prickles on the body small and few. A small band of sparse 
lu’ickles near the median line of back on each side of the median series 
of spines. Snout and interorbital space prickly. No prickles on the 
shoulders or on the fins, except the anterior edge of the pectorals. Be- 
low smooth, except the snout and front of pectorals. Teeth Jaws 
somewhat curved. Color light brown, slightly mottled ; a blackish ring 
at base of pectorals, which becomes faint in the adult. A small dusky 
spot at base of ventrals and on posterior edge of pectorals. Disk one 
tenth broader than long, its breadth twice the length of the tail. Snout 
one-fourth the length of the disk, three times the interorbital width. 
L. 2 feet. Coast of California, from Monterey to Cape Mendocino j 
abundant. 
(Girard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliila. 1854, 196: Urapfcra hinocuJaia Girard, U. S. Pac. 
R. R. Expl. Fishes, 373 ; Gunther, viii, 464.) 
Var. inermis Jordan & Gilbert (var. nov.). 
Ditfers in the small number and feebleness of the spines and prickles, 
and in the presence of a band of small iirickles (in the females) on the 
posteror part of the jjectorals, parallel with the edge. Supraocular 
spines almost obsolete. Two or three minute prickles often present at 
the shoulder. A series of minute stellate prickles beginning near the 
middle of the back, becoming hooked spines on the tail. Lateral caudal 
spines scarcely difierentiated. A band of small itrickles on posterior 
j)art of the back. Males almost smooth. Santa Barbara, Cal. 
57 . R. Jordan & Gilbert. 
Disk much broader than long, anteriorly broadly arched ; the snout 
very obtuse, but its tip slightly exserted and acutish ; anterior margin 
of pectorals somewhat undulated and convex; posterior margin very 
convex. A row of stout supraocular spines ; about six spines on the 
scapular region, and a median row of strong s])ines on the tail. Entire 
upper surface rough with strong stellate prickles ; these largest on 
