THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 413 



Head 5.25 in total length; depth 7.25, 7.55; D. 150 ^9; A. 112; P. 

 24, 25. 



Body elongate, somewhat eellike, compressed; head long, rather 

 low, compressed, its width at margin of preopercle 1 .9, 2.2 in its length ; 

 snout tapering, 3.9, 4.1 in head; eye elongate, 1.45, 1.6; interorbital 

 6.5, 6.25; mouth large, nearly horizontal; upper jaw projecting; maxil- 

 lary broad, its width slightly exceeding longest diameter of eye, reach- 

 ing two-thirds diameter of eye beyond orbit, 2.0, 2.1 in head; teeth 

 conical or pointed, an enlarged outer series in each jaw, but those 

 of lower jaw the larger, followed by a narrow band of minute teeth; 

 teeth on vomer and palatines similar to the enlarged outer series of 

 teeth in jaws, mostly in a single irregular series; membrane of opercle 

 above continuous with a narrow flap extending downward on shoulder 

 girdle to base of pectoral ; four gill rakers developed on lower limb of 

 first arch, none on upper; lateral line high, absent on distal part of 

 tail; scales embedded, elongate, strongly striate; dorsal very long, low, 

 covered with rather thick skin, the rays not clearly visible through the 

 skin, its origin about an eye's diameter behind base of uppermost ray 

 of pectoral, its longest rays not much longer than snout; caudal fully 

 continuous with dorsal and anal, its margin rather broadly convex; 

 anal similar to dorsal, though notably shorter, distance from its origin 

 to tip of snout 2.4, 2.4 in total length; ventrals close together, inserted 

 at vertical from anterior margin of eye, the two filaments deeply cleft, 

 but not to base, the inner (or posterior) one the longer, 2.3, 2.1 in 

 head; pectoral rather large, with rounded margin, 1.2, 1.8 in head. 



Color dark brown above, pale underneath; back and sides behind 

 beginning of dorsal with irregular, small, pale markings; ventral fins 

 pale; the other fins quite dark, with very narrow pale margins. The 

 color in life is described by Evermann and Radcliffe (see reference 

 above) as follows: "Color in life, ventral aspect of head and abdomen 

 light, unevenly washed with salmon; upper and lower lips deep salmon ; 

 the salmon-color of ventral surface extending backward along the base 

 of anal fin; body dark chocolate brown, darkest above, with a few 

 light spots, irregular in form and disposition; these spots smaller, more 

 irregular in form and distribution and more sharply contrasted with 

 the darker ground color, than those of the common congrio (O.chilen- 

 sis [=maculatus])." M. J. Lobell, of the Mission, described the 

 color in his field notes as "salmon colored below, brown above." 



A specimen preserved by the Mission, 545 mm. long, caught at 

 Atico Point, and one taken by R. E. Coker at Mollendo, listed as G. 

 blacodes by Evermann and Radcliffe, form the basis for the description 

 offered. In addition, a small specimen, 145 mm. long, from Tortuga 



" The number of dorsal and anal rays given is exclusive of the caudal rays, which are finer and closer to- 

 gether than the adjoining ones. The rays can be counted accurately only after cutting the skin. 



