THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 145 



KEY TO THE GENERA 



■ a. Ventral fins inserted well forward, usually about equidistant from margin 

 of opercle and base of caudal; dorsal and anal origins almost exactly opposite 

 each other; anal generally slightly longer than dorsal. 



Hyporhamphus (p. 145) 



aa. Ventral fins inserted far backward, much nearer base of caudal than margin 

 of opercle; dorsal origin well in advance of that of anal; dorsal longer than 

 anal Hemiramphus (p. 146) 



Genus HYPORHAMPHUS Gil!. 1859 



Sides of body not quite vertical, more or less convex; lateral line 

 low, running along side of belly, discontinued on caudal peduncle; 

 dorsal and anal fins almost exactly opposite each other, the latter 

 generally slightly the longer, the last ray of these fins scarcely longer 

 than the im.mediately preceding ones; ventral fins inserted at or near 

 the midpoint between the margin of the opercle and base of caudal. 



HYPORHAMPHUS UMFASCIATUS (Ranzani) 



Choelo 



Hemirhamphus unifasciatus Ranzani, 1842, p. 326, Brazil (original description). 



Hyporhamphus unifasciatus Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, p. 43, Cap6n, Peru 

 (description based on the only specimen known from Peru). — Meek and 

 HiLDEBRAND, 1923, p. 237, both coasts of Panama (synonymy; description, 

 specimens from Atlantic and Pacific coast compared; range). 



Head (measured from tip of upper jaw) 4.5; depth 7.4, or 1.65 in 

 head;D. 15; A. 17; P. 11; V. 7; scales 56. 



Body fairly robust, depth exceeding the thickness at base of ven- 

 trals only by about half diameter of eye; head rather flat above, its 

 sides nearly vertical; mandible greatly produced, its length in advance 

 of tip of upper jaw a little shorter than rest of head, 2.6 in length 

 snout (upper jaw) rather narrowly rounded, 2.8 in head; eye 4.35 

 interorbital 4.0; teeth in jaws in bands, compressed, chiefly tricuspid 

 gill rakers scarcely as long as pupil, very short anteriorl}^, 7 more or less 

 developed on upper and 21 on lower limb of first arch; scales firm, 

 cycloid, 11 oblique rows under base of dorsal; dorsal elevated an- 

 teriorly, the longest rays fully as long as postorbital part of head, 

 basal tliree-fourths or so densely scaled, its origin ahnost directly over 

 that of anal; caudal deeply lunate, the lobes pointed, the lower one 

 much the longer, anal only slightly longer than dorsal, its base 1.6 in 

 head; ventral scarcely as long as postorbital part of head, inserted a 

 little nearer base of pectoral than base of last ray of dorsal; pectoral 

 rather pointed, 1.5 in head. 



Color of preserved specimen slightly brownish above, with many 

 dark or brown punctulations; slightly silvery on sides and below; 

 slight indication of a lead-colored lateral band, and of two dark lines 

 on the back; fins with dark punctulations, most numerous on dorsal 

 and caudal. 



