NO. 14.82. ARGENTINA FISHES— EVERMANN AND KENDALL. 99 



Family SCOMBRID^. 



38. SCOMBER JAPONICUS Houttuyn. 

 CABALLA. 



Scomber japonicHs HovrTVYN, Verhand. Holland. Maate. Weet. Haarl., XX, p. 21, 



Japan. 

 Scomber colias Gu^hiN, Syst. Nat., I, 1788, Ft. 4, p. 1329, Sardinia. 

 Scomber scombru>f, Bercj, Anal. Mus. Nac. Bnenos Aires, IV (2d ser., I), 1895, 



p. 40 (Mar del Plata; Montevideo). 



Regardiug this .species, which he believes to be S. Hcomhrus, Berg 

 says that the swimming bladder is absent, rendering the determination 

 of the species absolutely certain, and that individuals have been 

 observed with only 10 spines in the dorsal fin. According to Jordan 

 and Evermann," the dorsal fin formula of S. scomhrus is XI-12 with 5 

 finlets; and of S. coUas=japoniciis^ IX-1, 12 and 5 or 6 finlets. Thus 

 the number of dorsal spines given by Berg applies to the present .spe- 

 cies rather than to S. scor/ihrus, yet the number of spines doubtless 

 varies somewhat in both species. If the air-bladder is really absent, 

 the fish mentioned by Berg was xS'. .seonJrrus, but it ma}' be that the air- 

 bladder was overlooked, as it may easily be under certain circum- 

 stances, especially when the viscera are somewhat macerated. Under 

 these circumstances, and since the single specimen in our collection is 

 undoubtedly /S. jaj^oiiieus^ it is not improbable that Berg's specimen 

 also w^as of this species. 



Regarding its abundance, Berg states that it has been observed a 

 very few times at Montevideo and Mar del Plata, where many were 

 caught near the end of January and first of Februar}'^, 1895. 



Our specimen from Mar del Plata presents the following characters: 

 Total length, 13.5 inches; length without caudal, 12 inches. Head 4: 

 in length without caudal; depth 1.26; eye 4.8 in head; maxillary 

 about 2.08, and mandible 1.81; D. VIII-1, 11+5 finlets, the longest 

 spine 2 in head; A. I, 10+5 finlets; pectoral 2 in head. 



Family CARANGID^. 



39. PARONA SIGNATA (Jenyns). 

 PALOMETA. 



Paropsis signata Jenyns, Zool. Voy. Beagle, Pt. 4, V, Fish, 1842, p. 66, pi. xiii, 

 northern coast Patagonia.— Perugia, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova-. 

 2d ser., X (XXX), 1890-91, p. 614 (Montevideo; Baeinodel Rio Santa Cruz),. 



Parona signata, Berg, Anal. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires, IV (2d ser., I), 1895, p. 39 

 (Bahia de Santa Cruz; Bahia Blanca; Mar del Plata; Montevideo). 



Berg says that this species is very common along the whole coast, 

 and is caught at Montevideo at certain times of the year in enormous 



« Fishes North and Mid. Amer., Pt. 1, 1896, pp. 865, 866. 



