THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 



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part of dorsal black, the color more or less broken up into coarse 

 punctulations ; soft part of dorsal pale; caudal pale, with a narrow 

 dark cross bar at base; anal pale, with a more or less continuous dark 

 streak at base; ventral pale; pectoral pale at base, the distal third or 

 so black, this color sometimes broken up into coarse punctulations. 



Several dozen specimens, 35 to 42 mm. (28 to 35 mm. to base of 

 caudal) long, were taken by the Mission, under a light, at Mazorka 

 Island, Huaura Group. The proportions used in the description are 

 based on 9 and the enumerations of fin rays on 20 specimens. The 

 specimen selected as the type (U.S.N.M. No. 128188) is 40 mm. (32 

 mm. to base of caudal) long. The following proportions and enu- 

 merations apply to the type: Head 3.8 in length; depth 4.0; anal 

 base 2.4; pectoral 4.0. Eye 3.6 in head; snout 3.6; interorbital 10.5; 

 maxillary 3.2; caudal peduncle 3.6; first dorsal spine 1.5; ventral 1.4. 

 D. XII, 17; A. II, 18; P. 14. 



Figure 7\.—Ophioblennius mazorkae, new species. From the type, 40 mm. long, Ma- 

 zorka Island, Peru (U.S.N.M. No. 128188). 



The examples herein described appear to be close to 0. xiphiodon 

 Clark, of which no examples are available for comparison. Accord- 

 ing to the description, xiphiodon has fewer anal rays; given as "17" 

 in the original description, and as "II, 15" by Reid (1943, p. 374), 

 who had a paratype. It is stated also that the 4 canines in the an- 

 terior part of upper jaw are smaller than those in the lower jaw, 

 whereas only the 2 middle ones are smaller in the specimens at hand. 

 Furthermore, lateral canines in the lower jaw are not mentioned in 

 the description of xiphiodon. The number of vertebrae is given as 

 "about 10+20=30" for xiphiodon, whereas in 3 specimens examined 

 from among those before me the total number is constantly 33. The 

 description of the color of xiphiodon, as far as it goes, agrees fairly 

 well with the specimens at hand. However, it is stated, "pectoral 

 black, tipped with coarse punctulations." Only the distal third or 

 so of this fin in the specimens at hand is black, the black color cor- 

 rectly consisting of coarse punctulations. One might suspect that a 

 hyphen was inadvertently replaced by a comma, and that at first the 

 description was written "pectorals black-tipped with coarse punctu- 



