THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 



261 



anteriorly becoming horizontal above end of anal base; scales small, 

 strongly ctenoid, extending slightly on at least anterior parts of bases 

 of second dorsal and anal, also on bases of ventral and pectoral, and 

 covering most of lower two-thirds of caudal, the rows nearly parallel 

 with lateral line anteriorly, becoming oblique under first dorsal, and 

 horizontal under posterior part of second dorsal, 9 or 10 rows between 

 lateral line and first dorsal spine, 36 to 39 vertical series on side be- 

 tween origin of anal and base of caudal; dorsal fins slightly connected, 

 the spines fairly slender, the third and fourth longest, of about equal 

 length, 1.6 to 2.0 in head, the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth spines very 

 short; second dorsal with a slightly convex margin, a little higher 

 anteriorly than posteriorly; upper half of caudal fin slightly concave, 

 the longest rays below lateral line, both lobes rounded; anal with 

 convex margin, the spine very weak, closely adherent to first soft 



Figure 56. — Meniicirrhus cokeri Evermann and Radcliffe. From the type, 165 mm. long, 

 Ancon, Peru (U.S.N.M. No. 77533). (After Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917.) 



ray, without free tip, origin of fin equidistant from base of ventral 

 spine and vertical from end of dorsal base; ventral inserted rather 

 less than an eye's diameter behind base of pectoral, 1.5 to 1.7 in head; 

 axillary process of pectoral bluntly pointed, about two-thirds length 

 of eye; pectoral rather broadly rounded, not nearly reaching tip of 

 ventral, 1.3 to 1.6 in head, 4.8 to 5.7 in length. 



Color grayish brown above; pale underneath; first dorsal quite 

 dusky; second dorsal and caudal lighter, the lower lobe of the latter 

 largely quite dark; anal, ventral, and pectoral dark, all with pale 

 margins. 



The description is based on 11 specimens, 60 to 120 mm. (45 to 

 101 mm. to base of caudal) long, furnished by the Mission. Ten 

 of these were seined in Chilca Bay, and one was dredged in San Juan 

 Bay. The type (U.S.N.M. No. 77533), a specimen 165 mm. (134 

 mm. to base of caudal) long, from Ancon, was compared, and pro- 

 portions and enumeration based upon it are included in the descrip- 

 tion. Although the type originally was described as having only 11 

 spines in the first dorsal, 12 probably is correct, the fin being shghtly 



624264 — 45 18 



