344 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Head 3.15; depth 2.8; D. XII, 11; A. Ill, 12; P. 17; scales 32. 



Body moderately compressed, its greatest thickness about two- 

 fifths of its depth; back moderately elevated; profile nearly straight 

 over snout, convex over eyes to dorsal; head longer than deep; caudal 

 peduncle long, rather deep and compressed, 2.0 in head; snout long, 

 rather pointed, 2.5 in head; eye small, 6.25; interorbital 3.5; mouth 

 slightly oblique, terminal; maxillary failing to reach eye, 2.8 in head; 

 teeth in a single series in each jaw, upper jaw anteriorly with 4 large 

 canines, followed by small, somewhat coalesced teeth, posteriorly with 

 a moderately strong canine directed forward, lower jaw anteriorly with 

 2 rather large canines, followed by coalesced teeth, more nearly 

 separate and caninelike posteriorly; gill rakers small, 12 on lower 

 and 6 smaller ones on upper limb of first arch; lateral line following 

 contour of back more or less, reaching middle of side on caudal pe- 

 duncle; scales large, with membranous borders, not quite extending 

 forward to interorbital, extending on bases of soft parts of dorsal and 

 anal, 4 complete rows between lateral line and first dorsal spine; 

 dorsal fin long, the spines graduated, the last one about twice length 

 of eye; soft part of dorsal elevated, the fifth and sixth rays produced, 

 exceeding length of pectoral; caudal deeply concave, the upper lobe 

 notably the longer, little shorter than head; anal slightly injured, 

 similar to dorsal, third spine 3.8 in head; ventral inserted under base 

 of pectoral, the two outer rays moderately produced (slightly injured) ; 

 pectoral broadly rounded, not quite reaching vertical from vent, 1 .4 in 

 head. 



Color of old preserved specimen rather light brown above; pale 

 underneath; a dark band along middle of side, divided into two in- 

 definite narrow bands on head; margins of scales dark brown on side 

 and back; anterior rays and bases of soft dorsal and anal dark brown, 

 the rest of fins pale; caudal brown at base, outer rays brown, the rest 

 of fin pale; ventral slightly dusky; pectoral pale, its upper rays distally 

 black. 



The foregoing description is based on a female, 335 mm. (255 mm. 

 to base of caudal) long, taken at Lobos de Afuera, Peru, by R. E. 

 Coker, the only specimen now at hand from Peru, Several examples 

 from Panama Bay, Cocos Island, and Socorro Island are available for 

 comparison. The following proportions are based on five specimens 

 from Panama Bay and two from Cocos Island, 255 to 480 mm. 

 (205 to 343 mm. to base of caudal) long: Head 3.0 to 3.3 in length; 

 depth 2.75 to 3.0. Eye 5.3 to 6.5 in head; snout 2.25 to 2.6; maxillary 

 2.6 to 2.9; ventral 1.1 to 1.5; pectoral 1.25 to 1.4. D. XII, 10 or 11; 

 A. Ill, 12 or 13; P. 17; gill rakers 12 or 13 (on lower limb) ; scales 4-33 

 or 34 ; vertebrae 27 (one specimen dissected) . 



The color pattern of the females from Panama and Cocos Island is 

 essentially like that of the Peruvian example, though a few of the speci- 



