484 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



VOL. 86 



5191, 37°13'50" N., 122"32'30'' W.; 5192, 37°44'50" N., 122°43'00'' 

 W.; 5211, 35°40'30" N., 121°22'40" W.; 5574, Pacific Grove, Calif.; 

 10700, San Francisco Market; 21341, San Juau Islands, Wash.; 

 32242, McNears Point, San Pablo Bay. 



PORICHTHYS species 



Porirhthys m^rgaritutus (presumably a misideiitiflcation) Jordan and Gilbkrt, 

 1882c, p. 368 (record of specimens discussed below). 



Three young specimens (U.S.N.M. no. 3004), 39.5 to 41.5 mm m 

 standard length, collected by Xantus at Cape San Lucas, seem to rep- 

 resent an nndescribed species of Porlchfhy-'i. The anal rays are 27 in 

 one and 28 in two, wliereas only one otlier specimen of tlie genus ex- 

 amined (an example of P. votatui!) has as few as 20 anal rays. Tlie 

 dorsal rays are correspondingly decreased (table 3). The specimens 

 though poorly pi-eserved show 6 large dusky dorsolateral blotches. 

 The small photophoi-es in the pleural row behind the main ones are 

 rather numerous, at least on one side of ojie specimen (some are evi- 

 dent on the opposite side of this individual, and on the other speci- 

 mens), but the condition of preservation does not permit it to be 

 determined with certainty whether these small organs are as well 

 developed as in P. margar'/fniuM. Nor are tlie lat<^ral liiu' stnictni-es 

 to be precisely determined. 



The V-shaped branchiostegal row of photophores as well as the 

 number of fin rays excludes these specimens from P. myriaster. 

 The contrast in radial formula is greatest when these specimens are 

 contrasted with the two types of P. anali.s. They agree rather well 

 with corresponding young of either r)X)tatus or margaritatus and may 

 represent aberrant examples or a subspecies of either form. The 

 agreement is particularly close with the original figure and descrip- 

 tion of Batrachus margantatus from the Gulf of Fonseca, and they 

 may represent the true margantatus if that form should be distinct 

 from the one {nautopaedium) usually assigned the name. 



