THE SHORE PISHES OF PERU 263 



rounded, about half length of eye; pectoral large, reaching at least 

 an eye's diameter beyond tip of ventral, 1.15 in head, 3.6 in length. 



Color of old preserved specimen brownish above; lighter below; 

 fins rather darker than body. 



The description is based on the specimen reported from Capon, 

 region of Tumbes, by Evermann and Radcliffe (see reference above), 

 which is 260 mm. (218 mm. to base of caudal) long. This example 

 agrees very well with specimens from Panama, with which it was 

 compared. The rather few dorsal spines, nmnerous anal rays, large 

 pectoral, and rather few scales distinguish this species from the other 

 local forms. 



Range. — Mexico to northern Peru. 



MENTICIRRHUS PAITENSIS. new species 



Figure 57 



Head 3.35; depth 5.0; D. XI, 24; A. I, 7; P. 21; scales 65. 



Body very elongate, somewhat compressed, its greatest thickness 

 fully three-fourths its depth; back little elevated, quite narrow; 

 ventral outline nearly straight; head very low, rather broad, its width 

 and depth about equal over margin of preopercle; caudal peduncle 

 fairly slender, 3.5 in head; snout rather conical, projecting about 

 three-fourths of an eye's diameter beyond premaxillaries, 3.5 in head; 

 eye rather large, 5.5; interorbital 4.25; mouth inferior, horizontal; 

 lower jaw included; maxillary reaching below middle of eye, 2.75 

 in head; teeth in each jaw in a band, the outer series in upper jaw 

 somewhat enlarged; preopercle with a serrated membranous margin; 

 gill rakers rather thick, none exceeding in length the pupil of eye, 2 

 somewhat developed on lower and 2 on upper limb of first arch; 

 lateral line only slightly arched anteriorly, becoming horizontal 

 under end of second dorsal; scales moderately small, strongly ctenoid, 

 forming a sheath one scale wide on base of second dorsal, also extending 

 slightly on bases of ventral and pectoral, present on basal two-thirds 

 or so of interradial membranes of caudal, the rows of scales slightly 

 oblique anteriorly, becoming more so under first dorsal, horizontal 

 on caudal peduncle, 5 rows between lateral line and first dorsal spine, 

 28 vertical series on side between origin of anal and base of caudal; 

 dorsal fins close together, the spines moderately slender, the third 

 with a slight filament, not quite reaching origin of second dorsal if 

 deflexed, 1.9 in head, tenth and eleventh spines very short; second 

 dorsal a little higher anteriorly than posteriorly, its margin nearly 

 straight; upper half of caudal concave, the longest rays in upper 

 lobe and just below lateral line, the lower lobe somewhat damaged, 

 but evidently rounded; anal very small, its longest rays exceeding 

 in length those of second dorsal, the spine slender, adhering to first 

 soft ray only moderately closely, origin of fin a little nearer base 



