214 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



teeth in the jaws small, not specially reduced in adult, in a band in 

 each jaw, becoming very narrow posteriorly; gill rakers moderately 

 slender, exceeding half the eye in length, 16, 16, 17 on lower and 8, 8, 8 

 on upper limb of first arch; lateral line scarcely arched, somewhat 

 wavy anteriorly; scales minute, somewhat embedded, especially in 

 young; dorsal spines short, especially in adult, the posterior ones 

 somewhat connected by membranes in young; second dorsal and anal 

 similar, each with a large lobe anteriorly, the lobe of dorsal in the small- 

 er specimens a little shorter than head and failing to reach end of 

 dorsal base, the lobes greatly produced in adults, reaching far beyond 

 base of caudal; caudal not especially deeply forked in small specimens, 

 the lobes of about equal length, only about as long as head, more 

 pointed and much produced in adult, about twice length of head; anal 

 spines somewhat connected by membranes in small specimens, sep- 

 arate in adult, base of anal, exclusive of the 2 free spines, 3.0, 2.9, 2.6 

 in length; ventral well developed, inserted shortly behind pectoral, 

 reaching vent in small specimens, notably shorter in adult; pectoral 

 rather small, pointed, notably shorter than bead, 4.8, 4.6, 5.1 in 

 length. 



Color bluish gray along back, this color merging into the silvery or 

 yellow color of lower parts. The largest specimen yellowish below, 

 the smaller ones silvery gray. The large specimen with five black 

 cross bars; these missing in the small specimens (the bars faintly 

 discernible in a specimen 105 mm. long from Panama Bay), Ventral 

 fins largely white; other fins more or less dusky; the lobes of second 

 dorsal and anal darker than rest of fins. 



The Mission preserved three specimens, respectively 87, 95, and 260 

 mm. (63, 67, and 178 mm. to base of caudal) long. One of the small 

 ones was seined and the other dredged in Lobos de Tierra Bay, and 

 the large one was caught in a trammel net in Chilca Bay. These 

 specimens form the basis for the description. The proportions and 

 enumerations are given separately for each specimen in order of their 

 size, beginning with the smallest one. It is evident from the descrip- 

 tion that the fish undergoes rather great changes with age and growth. 

 This species probably is not numerous enough to be of commercial 

 importance in Peru. 



Range. — Gulf of California (Mazatldn and Cape San Lucas) to 

 Peru, Previously apparently recorded only from as far south as 

 Tumaco, Colombia. I have examined, also, a specimen (U.S.N.M, 

 No. 102290) taken by W. L. Sclimitt at Chatham Island, Galapagos 

 Archipelago, 



