THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 303 



STELLIFER OSCITANS (Jordan andlGUbert) 



Sciaena oscitans Jordan and Gilbert, 1882c, p. 312, Panama Bay (original 



description; compared with S. filrthii). 

 Stellifer oscitans Meek and Hildebrand, 1925, p. 621, Panama Bay (synonymy; 



description; range). 



Head 3.45, 3.5; depth 2.95, 3.0; D. X-I, 26, XI-I, 25; A. II, 8, II, 

 8; P. 20, 20; scales 52, 52. 



Body moderately deep, compressed, its greatest thickness about 

 half its depth; back thin, elevated; outline nearly straight over eyes, 

 moderately steep and convex from posterior margin of eye to origin 

 of dorsal; head rather low, broad, the bones not excessively cavernous; 

 caudal peduncle long and slender, 2.9, 3.1 in head; snout scarcely 

 projecting beyond premaxUlaries, 4.2, 4.4 in head; eye nearly round, 

 4.0, 4.2; interorbital broad, 2.6, 2.9; mouth oblique, the gape ante- 

 riorly a little above level of lower margin of eye; lower jaw slightly 

 included; maxillary reaching to or a little beyond posterior margin of 

 eye, 1.8, 1.85 in head; teeth in each jaw in a narrow band laterally, 

 in 2 irregular series anteriorly, the outer teeth in upper jaw enlarged, 

 and some of the inner ones in lower jaw; preopercle with 2 rather strong 

 spines near angle, the upper one directed slightly outw^ard and back- 

 ward, the lower one downward and backward; gill rakers at angle 

 nearly as long as eye 26, 27 on lower and 19, 20 on upper limb of first 

 arch; lateral line, rather strongly arched anteriorly, becoming hori- 

 zontal over origin of anal; scales moderate, ctenoid, becoming smooth 

 on head and chest, covering most of dorsal fins, caudal, anal, and pec- 

 toral, but extending only slightly on base of ventral, the rows ante- 

 riorly running upward and backward, 6, 7 rows between lateral line 

 and first dorsal spine; dorsal fins connected by a low membrane, the 

 second spine notably stronger than the succeeding ones, though only 

 about two-thirds length of the third, the latter flexible, 1.6, 1.9 in 

 head; second dorsal highest anteriorly, the longest rays only a little 

 shorter than the longest spines; caudal fin somewhat pointed, the 

 middle rays longest; second anal spine quite long and strong, not 

 quite reaching tip of longest soft ray, 1.5, 1.6 in head; ventral inserted 

 below base of pectoral, 1.25, 1.3 in head without filament; pectoral 

 long, pointed, reaching far beyond tip of ventral, a little longer than 

 head, 3.0, 3.3 in length. 



Color grayish brown above, this color shading into the silvery gray 

 of the lower parts; indefinite dark lines along the rows of scales on 

 upper part of body; fins all more or less olivaceous, with numerous 

 dusky punctulations; anal with a dark margin; axil of pectoral dusky. 



The description is based on two specimens, 140 and 155 mm. (109 

 and 121 mm. to base of caudal) long, taken in the Gulf of Guayaquil, 

 off Puerto Pizarro, by the Mission. The specimens agree well with 

 examples from Panama Bay, with which they were compared. 



Range. — Panama Bay to northern Peru. Previously reported 

 only from Panama. 



