THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 397 



tentacles, about as long as pupil; upper part of eye with a tuft of 

 about 8 to 13 tentacles, about half length of eye; nuchal "comb" 

 consisting of about 13 to 24 tentacles on each side, generally rather 

 less than half length of eye; the tentacles in each group becoming 

 more numerous with age; gill rakers shorter than pupil, about 8 on 

 lower limb, and about 4 on the upper one, of first arch; lateral line 

 curved anteriorly, reaching middle of side and becoming straight 

 over anterior part of anal, well behind tip of pectoral, the chord of 

 curved part about equal to length of straight part; pores and tubes 

 on head numerous; scales quite small, not extending on head, except 

 for a few on preopercle in some specimens, reduced above lateral line 

 on anterior part of body, making an accurate enumeration difficult, 

 about 14 or 15 oblique rows between lateral line and sixth dorsal 

 spine, those in lateral line modified, larger than adjacent ones and 

 with straight or concave free margins; dorsal fin beginning over or a 



Figure IG. — Labrisomus philippii (Steindachner). From specimens 290, 245, 170, and 112 

 mm, long, Peru (U.S.N.M. Nos. 77692, 77606, 77670, and 77562), showing change in 

 form and depth with age. (After Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917.) 



little in advance of margin of preopercle, the spines stiff, graduated, 

 the longest ones near middle of spinous part of fin, 2.9 to 3.7 in head, 

 the soft part of fin much shorter and notably higher than spinous 

 part; caudal broadly rounded, nearly as long as head without snout; 

 anal beginning under middle of spinous part of dorsal, and ending 

 about under next to the last ray of dorsal, its base 2.1 to 2.4 in length; 

 ventral rather long, 1.5 to 1.75 in head; pectoral broad, its longest 

 rays near middle of fin, 1.2 to 1.4 in head, 3.9 to 4.8 in length. 



Color variable, olivaceous to rather dark brown; with or without 

 dark spots and bars; plain specimens generally with dark unspotted 

 fins; barred and spotted specimens with few to many dark spots on 

 fins; dark bars of body often extending on dorsal fin; lips and lower 

 parts of head sometimes with dark stripes; side of head often with 

 black spots; anal sometimes with a row of pale spots. 



This blenny evidentally is common on the coast of Peru, as many 



