154 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



part of body quadrate in cross section; ridge along middle of side 

 interrupted over vent, resumed higher up and running into lateral 

 dorsal ridge posterior to base of dorsal; lateral dorsal ridge of trunk 

 ending somewhere under posterior half of dorsal base; body ridges 

 all rather sharp; snout robust, much shorter than rest of head, with 

 a sharp median ridge, ending somewhere between the eyes, resumed 

 as a lower ridge on head behind eyes, length of snout 2.7 to 3.15 in 

 head; postorbital part of head 2.1 to 2.5; eye 5.25 to 6.2, or 1.65 to 

 2.3 in snout; interorbital very narrow 12.5 to 18.0; opercle anteriorly 

 with a very low ridge, with low somewhat broken radiating linelike 

 ridges; egg pouch on 18 caudal rings (16 in smallest specimen, pos- 

 sibly not fully developed); dorsal over % to % body ring, and 3^ to 

 4K caudal rings, its base 0.95 to 1.2 in head, 11.3 to 14.5 in length; 

 caudal broadly convex; anal rather small, but plainly evident, with 

 two to four rays more or less developed; pectoral short, and broadly 

 rounded, 4.0 to 4.8 in head. 



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A 



Figure 34. — Syngnathus independencia, new species. From the type 127 mm. long, 

 Independencia Bay, Peru (U.S.N.M. No. 127853). Inserts: A, Diagram showing shape 

 and proportions; B, cross section of sixth body ring; C, cross section of twenty-second 

 caudal ring. 



General color brownish gray, somewhat paler below than above, 

 with about 12 to 14 dark rings, most distinct on back, 3 to 5 of these 

 on trunk; body everywhere with light grayish spots tending to form 

 series along the body ridges, those of the median lateral ridge and 

 those of the lateral ventral ridge tending to connect to form light 

 half-bars on lower part of trunk; the light spots more distinct in 

 some specimens than in others; membranes of pouch with small 

 pearl-gray dots; radiating dark lines on iris, and an irregular pale 

 spot behind eye; dorsal and pectoral colorless; caudal brown, the 

 outside rays pale and barred with brown, faint bars visible on all the 

 rays in one specimen. 



The Mission secured four specimens, all males, 79 to 127 mm. 

 (76 to 124 mm. to base of caudal) long, of this apparently undescribed 

 species, which were seined in Independencia Bay, on March 20. The 



