180 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



what notched, the spines fairly slender, the third spine, especially in 

 large specimens, the longest, sometimes twice as long as the ninth, 

 1.75 to 2.3 in head; origin of fin about over base of pectoral, its dis- 

 tance from tip of snout 2.6 to 2.8 in length; soft part with gently con- 

 vex margin, none of the rays as long as the longest spines; caudal con- 

 cave; anal with strong spines, the second somewhat enlarged, 2.9 to 3.9 

 in head, the fin ending nearly an eye's diameter in advance of end of 

 dorsal; ventral inserted under base of pectoral, with a weak spine 

 contained 2.7 to 3.8 in head; pectoral fairly long, reaching to or a little 

 beyond tips of ventrals, with rounded margin, the lowermost ray less 

 than half length of the longest ones, the latter 1.5 to 1.75 in head. 



Color of preserved specimens variable, grayish to brownish above, 

 pale brownish to silvery underneath; sides with about six or seven 

 more or less distinct dark cross bars, several of the anterior ones 

 present only below lateral line, quite obscm-e in a few dark brown 

 specunens; head, and sometimes anterior part of back, with pale 

 spots, these spots occasionally confined to sides of head; similar spots 

 present on peduncle and base of caudal in some specimens; these 

 spots both on head and tail more or less united, forming pale streaks in 

 a few specimens at hand; pectoral with a dark brown blotch m front 

 of it, with a brown base, and usually with a distinct narrow light 

 crescent across base of rays, the rest of fin usually plain translucent; 

 other fins dusky to nearly black. One of the large, profusely spotted 

 specimens in which the spots form streaks, was described by M. J. 

 Lobell in his field notes as, "pleasantly marked with horizontally 

 placed spots and wavy lines in a rust color on a brown background." 



The Mission furnished eight specimens, 175 to 320 mm. (140 to 

 255 mm. to base of caudal) long, taken in Lobos de Afuera Bay. In 

 addition, there is a specimen (U.S.N.M. No. 77629) 212 mm. long 

 taken by R. E. Coker at Chimbote. 



This species is rather close to P. humeralis but is readily separated 

 from it by the smaller scales, as shown by the key and descriptions. 

 The species may be distinguished easily by rubbing a finger forward 

 toward the snout over the interorbital, as P. callaensis has rough 

 ctenoid scales on the interorbital, which P. humeralis does not 

 possess. If specimens of equal size are compared it becomes evident 

 that P. callaensis is a deeper and rather more strongly compressed 

 fish, that the third spine of the dorsal is notably longer, and that the 

 interorbital is narrower, being contained 5.6 to 7.6 in head in eight 

 specimens 200 to 320 mm. long, and 4.8 to 5.4 in eight specimens 225 

 to 335 mm. long of P. humeralis. The pectoral fins also are some- 

 what differently shaped, those of P. callaensis having a convex mar- 

 gin, whereas those of P. humeralis have a straight to slightly concave 

 margin. 



