THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 217 



mostly connected by membranes; second dorsal and anal similar, 

 long and low, longer than chest and abdomen; caudal deeply forked; 

 ventral rather small; pectoral long, falcate, 



A single species comes within the scope of the present work. 



CHLOROSCOMBRUS ORQUETA Jordan and GUbert 



Chloroscombrus orqueta Jordan and Gilbert, 1883c, p. 646, Panama Bay (orig- 

 inal description, compared with C. chrysurus). — Meek and Hildebrand, 

 1925, p. 370, pi. 30, fig. 2, Panama Bay (references; descriptions; compared 

 with C. chrysurus of the Atlantic; range). — Tortonese, 1939b, p. 338, 

 Callao, Peru. 



Head 3.9 to 4.0; depth 2.55 to 2.7; D. VIII-I, 27 or 28; A. II-I, 

 26 or 27; P. 19; scales about 145, too small to enumerate accurately. 



Body very strongly compressed; ventral outhne notably more 

 strongly curved than the dorsal, each trenchant anteriorly; head 

 short, its depth at middle of eyes a little less than its length from tip 

 of upper jaw; snout short, 3.5 to 3.9; eye 3.2 to 3.75; interorbital 4.3 

 to 5.0; mouth not quite vertical; tip of lower jaw entering dorsal 

 profile; premaxillary not curved; maxillary broad, its width exceeding 

 half diameter of eye, emarginate posteriorly, 2.7 to 3.0 in head; teeth 

 in jaws very small, in a band in each jaw; gill rakers slender, about 

 three-fourths length of eye, 35 to 37 on lower and 8 to 10 on upper 

 Hmb of first arch ; lateral line with a prominent arch, its chord exceed- 

 ing length of head, 3.1 to 3.3 in length, straight part with small scutes, 

 forming a slight keel on caudal peduncle; scales small, mostly with 

 free edges, extending forward somewhat on head, wanting on dorsal 

 and ventral ridges; first dorsal with weak spines, connected by mem- 

 branes, its origin a httle behind insertion of pectoral; second dorsal 

 and anal similar, anterior lobes httle elevated, scarcely as long as 

 snout and eye, origin of anal (exclusive of free spines) a little behind 

 that of second dorsal, its base 2.15 to 2.2 in length; caudal deeply 

 forked, the lobes pointed, of about equal length, about as long as head; 

 ventrals small, inserted slightl}^ behind pectoral, fitting together in a 

 deep groove, about as long as snout and half the eye ; pectoral long, 

 falcate, 2.9 to 3.1 in head. 



Color bluish gray above, this color merging into the silvery of the 

 lower parts along middle of side; a black spot on opercle, near its 

 upper angle; a rather indistinct black spot at base of upper lobe of 

 caudal; dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins with dusky punctulations, 

 other fins pale; axil of pectoral black. 



The Mission secured four specimens, 150 to 195 mm. (118 to 156 

 mm. to base of caudal) long, of this species, previously unreported 

 from Peru. Three of these specimens were seined in Chilca Bay, 

 and one was taken in a gill net m Paita Bay. The specimens differ 

 sUghtly from examples from Panama Bay, with which they were 

 compared, in having a rather smaller eye, apparently a higher aver- 



