ART. 21 A NEW CALIFOENIAN SURF-FISH HUBBS 7 



The caudal fin is wide, with the lobes not sharply pointed. The 

 inner edge of the shortest ray is contained 1.65 (1.5 to 1.8) times in 

 length of longest ray. The strong caudal rays are almost fan-shaped. 



The characteristic pectoral fins are a little shorter than the head 

 (rarely as long), and have the upper edge arched (sometimes not 

 very strongly) ; the tip more rounded than in related species and the 

 lower edge nearly straight. The lowermost several rays are weak 

 and frayed out to a rather silky fringe, almost as in Gohius (in some 

 specimens this modification is less evident than in others, and an 

 approach in the same direction is shown by related species). 



The pelvic fins do not quite extend to the origin of the anal in the 

 female, but slightly pass this point in the males. 



The anal fin of the male shows to a well-developed degree the 

 modifications characteristic of the Amphistichinae. In this sex the 

 anterior rays form a lobe that is considerably lower than the poste- 

 rior part of the fin. The several posterior rays of this lobe are consid- 

 erably thickened about one-third the way out and again near the edge 

 of the fin. In these thickened portions, the articulations of the rays 

 are increased in size and distinctness, whereas elsewhere on these 

 rays the articulations are almost fused. This modification becomes 

 exaggerated toward the posterior end of the lobe. Located at the 

 angle between the two lobes of the fin, one soft ray, the tenth to 

 fourteenth, is grossly exaggerated to form a triangular plate. This 

 is made up of the many branches of the ray, largely fused, and 

 spread out to form a somewhat sawlike edge. The somewhat thick- 

 ened anterior edge of the plate underlies a fleshy ridge, which 

 becomes enlarged to form a well-marked lobe near the fin margin. 

 Just anterior to this lobe, and just within the outer thickened 

 portions of the rays, another dermal thickening is developed. The 

 posterior edge of the triangular plate is expanded outward and 

 backward on each side, medially, to form a rough-edged bony lobe. 

 The ray next following the one modified into the plate is also con- 

 siderably widened and somewhat thickened, and has a serrated lobe 

 on both edges on each side. The next following ray is normal in 

 structure, but is a little wider than those that follow. All these 

 secondary sexual modifications of the anal fin are shown to a small 

 degree by the females. In that sex the anterior rays are not shortened 

 as in the male but form a convex lobe, which is set off by only a 

 shallow emargination from the much straighter posterior portion of 

 the fin. The highest anal ray in the female is contained 2.8 (2.6 to 

 3.3) times in the head. 



In alcoholic specimens the body is silvery, with numerous small, 

 scattered, brown flecks, deeper than long, producing an effect some- 

 what resembling Eupo?notis. Many of the spots are paired, and 



