THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 149 



doubt belongs to this species"). — Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, p. 44 



(synonj'my and note; after Abbott). 

 TCypselurus californicus Nichols and Murphy, 1922, p. 506, Central Chincha 



Island, Peru (record based on a specimen about a foot long that had washed 



ashore) . 

 Danichthys rondeletii Breder (probably in part not of Cuvier and Valenciennes), 



1938, p. 85, figs. 44 and 45 (synonymy, discussion, tabular material). 



Head 4.75, 5.3; depth 5.5, 5.3; D. 12, 11; A. 12, 12; P. 18, 18; 

 scales 48, 50. 



Body compressed, somewhat quadrate in cross section; caudal 

 peduncle moderately com.pressed, its depth 3.25, 3.6 in head; head flat 

 above, only a little deeper than broad; snout short, 3.3, 3.35 in head; 

 eye 2.75, 2.95; interorbital flat 2.45, 2.45; mouth small, oblique; 

 maxillary extending to vertical below nostril, 4.5, 4.1 in head; teeth 

 small, blunt, in a band in each jaw; gill rakers 9 above and 17 below 

 angle on first arch (counted in female only) ; lateral line along ventral 

 edge, slightly higher posteriorly, but remaining below midline 

 of side, somewhat raised anterior to ventral fin, lying in a series of 

 modified scales; scales large, cycloid, loosely attached; dorsal fin little 

 elevated anteriorly, the longest rays scarcely exceeding length of 

 snout and half the eye, its origin almost directly over that of the anal, 

 its base 5.75, 6.2 in length; anal a little lower than dorsal, its base 

 5.75, 6.3 in length; ventral long, the first ray short, less than snout 

 and eye, forming a definite offset in the margin of the fin, second ray 

 branched, its outer branch about three-fourths length of inner one, 

 third ray longest 3.3, 3.4 in length; pectoral very long, reaching base 

 of caudal in male, about to end of dorsal base in female, 1.35, 1.3 in 

 length. 



Color bluish brown above, sides silvery, pale underneath; dorsal 

 and anal pale or slightly dusky; ventral dusky, especially on inner 

 sides, with broad, pale, distal and inner margins; pectoral largely 

 dusky on outer suiface, its inner surface brownish red, with a rather 

 broad colorless distal margin. 



The Mission secured two large gravid specimens, a female about 

 295 mm. (225 mm. to base of caudal), and a male 310 mm. (248 mm. 

 to base of caudal) long, wdiich flew aboard the trawler on August 17, 

 1941, about 90 miles off Callao. The proportions and enumerations 

 given first in each instance apply to the female. 



Only about tliree specimens, all large ones, which seemingly belong 

 to this species, have previously been reported from Peru. Evermann 

 and Radcliffe (1917, p. 44) quote a field note by R. E. Coker stating 

 that he purchased eggs in the market of Arequipa, Peru, July 26, 

 1908, known as "cau-cau," which, according to the fishermen, were 

 the eggs of flyingfish, "volador." If they actually were the eggs of 

 flyingfish they must be more numerous than indicated by the number 

 of specimens secured by collectors. 



624264 — 45—11 



