318 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



long to base of caudal: Head 3.1 to 3.2; depth 2.75 to 2.9; pectoral 

 4.25 to 4.4. Eye in head 3.0 to 3.6; snout 3.3 to 4.2; interorbital 3.5 

 to 4.5; maxillary 3.3 to 3.6; longest dorsal ray 1.75 to 1.85; longest 

 anal ray 1.5 to 1.6; pectoral 1.3 to 1.4. D. XII, 14 to 16; A. Ill, 12; 

 P. 18 or 19; scales 49 to 53; gill rakers 12 + 18. 



That there are at least two species of this genus on the mainland of 

 South America seems evident from the description of "Doydixodon 

 laevifrons" by Steindachner (1898, p. 289), based on a specimen 290 

 mm. long, taken at Iquique, Chile. This description seems to suit 

 specimens (U.S.N.M. No. 50027) from the Galdpagos Islands, ap- 

 parently correctly identified as D. freminvillei, a name that Stein- 

 dachner synonymized with D. laevifrons. However, the GalApagos 

 Islands specimens certainly are different, as the anterior profile is 

 much more strongly convex, the teeth are more truly spoon-shaped, 

 the bowl being nearly at right angles, rather than at an angle of about 

 20° to 30°, to the basal supports, the gill rakers apparently are more 

 numerous, with about 25 on the lower limb of the first arch, and the 

 anterior lobes of the soft parts of dorsal and of anal are much lower, 

 and the margins instead of being concave are convex. 



D.fasciatum Kner and Steindachner, originally described from small 

 specimens taken at Iquique, Chile, generally has been synonymized 

 with D. laevifrons, or with D. freminvillei. The young now at hand 

 from Peru and from the Galapagos Islands are all uniform in color, 

 being entirely without stripes or bars. Therefore, D. fasciatum, after 

 all, may be a valid species. 



Range. — Coast of Peru. 



Family EPHIPPIDAE: Spadefishes 



Body short and very deep, strongly compressed; back much ele- 

 vated; head short, blunt; mouth small, terminal, protractile or not; 

 teeth slender, flexible; nostrils double; gills 4, the membranes broadly 

 united with the isthmus; lateral line complete, strongly arched; 

 scales smaU, ctenoid, covering entire body, and extending at least on 

 the vertical fins, exclusive of spinous dorsal, in the adult, dorsal fins 

 nearly or quite connected, with 8 to 10 spines, soft part large, anterior- 

 ly elevated in adult; anal with 3 spines, the soft part similar to that of 

 soft dorsal ; ventral thoracic ; pectoral short. 



This family is represented in American waters by two genera, only 

 one of which, Chaetodipterus, is now definitely known to occur in Peru. 

 However, there are at least tliree specimens of the other genus, 

 Parapsettvs, in the U. S. National Museum, taken at Guayaquil, 

 Ecuador. Therefore this genus may be expected in northern Peru. 

 It is readily distinguishable from Chaetodipterus by the very short dor- 

 sal spines, which are all of about equal length and scarcely longer than 



