THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 119 



and 1 lower down on shoulder girdle behind margin of opercle; 1 on 

 side at tip of pectoral; an oblique series of 3 between last organ in 

 front of ventral series and lateral line; and 1 just below lateral line and 

 at vertical from eighth organ along base of anal; scales along lateral 

 line enlarged, 3 complete rows between lateral line and first dorsal 

 ray; dorsal over middle of body, its distance from tip of snout 2.2 in 

 length; adipose well developed, over posterior part of anal; caudal 

 damaged; anal short, its origin under about tenth ray of dorsal, much 

 nearer base of caudal than tip of snout, its base 3.8 in length; ventral 

 inserted a little in advance of dorsal, much nearer origin of anal than 

 end of maxillary; pectoral somewhat below middle of body, near 

 margin of opercle, 1.4 in head. 



Color dusky brown above; silvery gray to brownish on side and 

 below; most of lower parts of body with dark brown punctulations; 

 base of photophores black; dorsal and caudal slightly brownish; other 

 fins pale. 



One specimen, about 62 mm. (50 mm. to base of caudal) long, was 

 taken by the Mission in a surface net, at latitude 5°29'30" S., longitude 

 81°42'W., that is, off northern Peru. This example comes well within 

 the limits of M. affine as understood by Parr (see reference above). 

 However, Bolin (1939, p. 110) expressed grave doubt as to the correct- 

 ness of including under one name the examples of wide divergence 

 assigned to it by Parr. 



Range. — Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Pelagic. 



Family ARIIDAE: Sea Catfishes 



Body moderately robust anteriorly, tapering to a fairly slender 

 caudal peduncle; head large, usually quite broad; mouth broad, gen- 

 erally more or less inferior; teeth in jaws, and usually on the vomer and 

 palatines; maxUlary with a barbel, and the lower jaw (chin) with one 

 or more pairs of barbels; scales wanting; adipose fin present; dorsal 

 and pectoral each with a strong spine. 



Three genera are represented in the Peruvian collections studied. 

 The members of the family, referred to as "bagre" in the report of the 

 Mission (1943, p. 287), are said to be common in northern Peru, and as 

 occurring as far south as "about Pisco." Rather large catches are 

 reported from northern Peru, which are landed chiefly at Puerto 

 Pizarro, Zorritos, and Negritos. 



KEY TO THE GENERA 



a. Lower jaw with one pair of barbels; maxillary barbel compressed, band- 

 shaped Bagre (p. 120) 



aa. Lower jaw with two pairs of barbels; maxillary barbel not band-shaped. 



b. Dorsal shield enlarged, often pointed anteriorly, sometimes convex to nearly 



straight; palatine and pterygoid teeth united, forming a large triangular 



patch Sciades (p. 122) 



