No. 1744. REVIEW OF FLOl VDERS STARKS \\l> THOMPSON. 281 



PLEURONICHTHYS VERTICALIS Jordan and Gilbert. 



This species may be known from all others of its genus by its 

 prominent interorbital spines, its greater anterior projection of the 

 interorbital ridge and bony tubercles over the tip of the snout, by 

 its fewer gill-rakers, and from all American species by its having no 

 teeth on the eyed side of either jaw. 



Head 3| to 4 in length of body without caudal; depth, If to 2\. 

 Upper orbit, 2^ to 3 in head: maxillary, 4 to 5; length of caudal pe- 

 duncle, 5 to 6; its depth, If to 2. Number of dorsal rays, 68 to 71; 

 anal rays, 45 to 4S; scales, 88 to 96 in series below lateral line; gill- 

 rakers, 2 or 3 + 6 or 7. 



Dorsal outline broken at upper orbit by the projecting snout. 

 The interorbital ridge high and anteriorly is continued so that it 

 overhangs the snout, its anterior edge being almost vertical. On 

 it are two prominent spines; the anterior one between the anterior 

 thirds of the orbit, pointing upward and outward; the posterior on 

 the end of the ridge, larger and sharper than in any other species, and 

 pointing almost straight back. It is above the surface of the head a 

 height equal to 1 diameter of the pupil. On the anterior end of the 

 ridge, in front of the lower eye, is a bony tubercle, and on the pos- 

 terior margin of the upper eye are three conspicuous blunt ones. A 

 trenchant short ridge forms the anterior ed^e of the upper orbit and 

 bears a short tubercle just in front of the eye. There are small teeth 

 in bands on the blind side of both jaws, but none on the eyed side of 

 either. The upper eye is considerably posterior to the lower, and the 

 orbits are somewhat larger than in other species. The maxillary is 

 concealed by the overhanging bony tubercle for the greater part of 

 its length. 



The dorsal fin arises on a level with the snout, and has five or six 

 rays on the blind side. The insertion of the ventral on the eyed side 

 is posterior to that on the blind a fourth or a fifth of the diameter of 

 the upper orbit. The caudal peduncle is rather long; measuring from 

 the base of the last anal ray to that of the lower caudal ray its length 

 is contained five or six times in the head. 



The scales are small, and are scarcely imbricated, especially toward 

 the sides of the body. The dorsal branch of the lateral line extends 

 back to under the middle of the dorsal, but the anterior branch is 

 usually lacking in the adult. 



The color in alcohol is uniform light brown with blotches of darker 

 faintly shown near the middle of the lateral line, and at the ba.se of 

 the caudal peduncle. The vertical (ins are mottled with large brown 

 spots. 



Here described from five specimens from San Francisco and from 

 southern California, from 6 to !) inches in length. 



