156 BULLETIN 18 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Head 7.3 to 7.6; depth 30 to 39, 4.1 to 5.1 in head; D. 36 to 43; 

 P. 13 or 14; C. 10; rings 17 or 18+41 or 42. 



Body slender, its greatest depth scarcely greater than its greatest 

 width; length anterior to vent 2.5 to 2.6 in length; median ventral 

 keel on trunk rather low; caudal portion of body quadrate in cross 

 section, fully as broad as deep; ridge along middle of side inter- 

 rupted over vent, resumed a little higher up and running into lateral 

 dorsal ridge at end of dorsal base; lateral dorsal ridge ending under 

 posterior part of dorsal; the lateral dorsal and lateral ventral ridges 

 sharp, the others low; snout rather long and slender, longer than rest 

 of head, with a sharp median ridge ending between front of eyes, 

 resumed behind eyes and extending to vertical from base of pectorals, 

 length of snout 1.95 to 2.1 in head; postorbital part of head 3.0 to 3.2; 

 eye 8.0 to 10, or 4.0 to 5.0 in snout; interorbital 18 to 21; opercle with 

 a low ridge anteriorly, at which low linelike ridges radiate; egg pouch 

 on 18 or 19 caudal rings; dorsal over 1% to 24-7K to 8 rings, its base 

 1.0 to 1.15 in head, 7.1 to 7.5 in length; caudal broadly rounded; anal 

 small, with only about 2 rays; pectoral broad, 4.75 to 6.2 in head. 



General color grayish, with faint darker rings between the bony 

 scutes; a dark streak in front of eye, and another on median ventral 

 line of snout; iris uniform dusky; dorsal and pectoral fins colorless; 

 caudal brown, darker than body. 



The Mission secured six specimens, five females, 94 to 132 mm. 

 (89 to 127 mm. to base of caudal) long, and one male, 180 mm. (171 

 mm. to base of caudal) long. Five were seined in Chilca Bay, and one 

 was taken under a light at La Lagunilla. Three specimens 132, 140, 

 and 145 mm. long, two of which are males, secured by R. E. Coker at 

 Ancon, and reported by Evermann and Radcliffe (see reference above), 

 also are at hand. These specimens, and the six preserved by the Mis- 

 sion, form the basis for the description. 



Range.— GuU of California to Chile. 



Genus HIPPOCAMPUS Rafinesque, 1810 



Head placed at an angle with the body, much as in the horse, its 

 shape also bearing a remarkable resemblance to that of a horse; body 

 compressed; tail prehensile, quadrate in cross section; egg pouch under 

 anterior part of tail; dorsal with 16 to 31 rays, over 3 to 6 segments; 

 pectoral with 13 or more rays. 



A single species has been reported from Peru. 



HIPPOCAMPUS INGENS Girard 



Caballito 



Hippocampus ingens Girard, 1858, p. 342, San Diego, Calif, (original descrip- 

 tion). — Nichols and Murphy, 1922, p. 506, Lobos de Tierra Island, Peru 

 (record based on a dry specimen presented by an Indian fisherman). — Meek 

 and HiLDEBRAND (in part), 1923, p. 256, Panama Bay (synonymy; descrip- 

 tion; range). — Ginsburg, 1937, p. 534, fig. 55 (synonymy; description; 

 range). 



