418 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



long, for which he gave the following proportions and enumerations; 

 head in length about 3.15; depth 3.15. D. VII-I, 24; A. III. 20; 

 P. 21; scales 90.31 

 Range. — Callao, Peru, to Iquique, Chile. 



Family SPHYRAENIDAE: Barracudas 



Body very elongate, little compressed; head long, pointed, pikelike; 

 mouth large, nearly horizontal, with the rather pointed mandible 

 strongly projecting, the edges formed by nonpro tractile premaxillaries 

 and the rather broad maxillaries posteriorly; mouth provided with 

 large sharp teeth of unequal size; opercular bones without spines or 

 serrations; gills four, the rakers short or obsolete; scales moderate or 

 small, cycloid, present on cheeks and opercles, and usually on part 

 of upper surface of head; lateral line well developed, straight, first 

 dorsal with five spines, the second fin remote, with one or two flexible 

 spines and about seven to nine soft rays ; anal similar to second dorsal 

 and more or less opposite it; caudal fin forked; ventral fins abdominal, 

 with one spine and five soft rays; pectoral fins short, inserted at or 

 below midline of side. 



Genus SPHYRAENA Klein, 1778 



The characters of the genus are sufficiently indicated in the family 

 description. 



A single species comes within the scope of the present work. 



SPHYRAENA IDIASTES Heller and Snodgrass 



Picuda; Aguja 



Sphyraena idiastes Heller and Snodgrass, 1903, p. 190, pi. 2, Seymour Island, 

 Galdpagos Archipelago (original description). — Evermann and Radcliffe, 

 1917, p. 51, Guaiiape North Island, Lobos de Tierra, Peru (description). — 

 Nichols and Murphy, 1922, p. 506, Lobos de Tierra Island, Peru, 



Head 3.2, 3.35; depth 7.6, 7.0 or 2.4, 2.05 in head; D. V-I, 8, V-I, 8; 

 A. II, 9, II, 8; P. 13, 13; scales 146, 150. 



Body very elongate, somewhat compressed, the depth exceeding 



31 After the foregoing account had been prepared a specimen 70 mm. (53 mm. to base of caudal) long, 

 removed from the stomach of an "atun" (Thunnus macropterus) , was identified as of this genus. The 

 Btfin was caught by trolling o£E Salaverry, at lat. 8°10' S., long. 80°05' W. The specimen is in disagreement 

 in several respects with the descriptions of L. peruanus, but its condition is such that an accurate descrip- 

 tion cannot be prepared, as the scales are missing, the skin is partly digested away, and the fins are mostly 

 in a very imperfect condition. Steindachner (1874, p. 10) stated that the ventral fins are inserted behind 

 the pectorals in L. peruanus, and are little developed. In the specimen before me they are inserted under 

 and slightly in advance of the pectorals, and are quite long, reaching well beyond the origin of the anal. 

 The specimens described by Steindachner, which were taken in the market, presumably were large ones. 

 It is not improbable that the ventral fins decrease in length with age in this group of fishes. However, their 

 relative position would be expected to remain the same. The anal rays apparently are more numerous, 

 and the pectoral rays are fewer. Furthermore, Steindachner stated that a single row of many minute 

 teeth was present on the margins of the Jaws. In the specimen at hand the teeth in the lower jaw are larger, 

 more numerous, and consequently closer together than those in the upper jaw. 



The following proportions and eumerations are based on the small specimen in hand: Head 2.95 in length; 

 depth 3.1; base of anal 2.5; pectoral 3.8. Eye 3.0 in head; snout 5.1; interorbital 5.0, maxillary 3.0; caudal 

 peduncale 5.6; ventral 1.4; pectoral 1.25. D. XI-1, 25; A. Ill, 26; P. 19; V. I, 5; gill rakers 7+14. 



