THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 419 



width at base of ventrals by about diameter of eye; caudal peduncle 

 compressed, its depth 5.5, 5.0 in head; head rather low, convex above, 

 without prominent ridges; snout long, broadly rounded anteriorly, 

 2.3, 2.35 in head; eye 6.9, 7.6; interorbital 6.25, 6.6; mouth large, 

 narrow, the long slender pointed mandible projecting by about half 

 diameter of eye; maxillary broad, failing to reach eye, 2.65, 2.6 in 

 head; teeth on premaxillaries very small, pointed, missing anteriorly ; 

 two pairs of large strong compressed pointed teeth on inner premaxil- 

 laries, followed by a series of similar teeth, unequal in size, on the 

 palatines; a single large compressed tooth, median in position, on 

 lower jaw anteriorly, and a series of much smaller compressed teeth 

 laterally; scales small, those in lateral line slightly enlarged, with 

 raised pores ; dorsal fins far apart, the origin of the first a little nearer 

 the second than the eye, origin of the second a little nearer base of 

 caudal than the origin of the first; caudal fin deeply forked, the upper 

 lobe slightly the longer; anal similar to second dorsal, elevated an- 

 teriorly, the last ray somewhat produced, its origin under or slightly 

 behind that of second dorsal, its base 4.0, 4.1 in head; ventral only a 

 little shorter than pectoral, inserted under origin of first dorsal, and 

 equidistant from origin of anal and some point over the eye; pectoral 

 somewhat pointed 3.0, 3.1 in head. 



Color uniform brownish gray above; silvery below about middle of 

 side; ventrals and pectorals mostly pale; other fins largely dusky. 



The foregoing description is based on 2 specimens, 540 and 575 mm. 

 (440 and 488 mm. from tip of upper jaw to base of caudal) long. The 

 proportions and enumerations given first pertain to the smaller speci- 

 mens. In addition, there are at hand 13 small specimens, 65 to 153 

 mm. (57 to 122 mm. from tip of upper jaw to base of caudal) long. The 

 young are somewhat slenderer than the adults, though on the whole 

 not differing greatly, except in color. The smallest specimens have 

 6 large dark spots on the back, with narrow cross bars between the 

 posterior blotches, and 3 on the ventral surface, the first one being 

 under the anal base. The blotches have become obscure in specimens 

 110 mm. long, and no trace of them is evident in the next larger speci- 

 men, which is 153 mm. long. The following proportions and enumera- 

 tions are based on 6 of the small specimens, 65 to 153 mm. (57 to 122 

 mm. from tip of upper jaw to base of caudal) long: Head in length 2.8 

 to 3.1; depth 8.2 to 9.7 or 2.8 to 3.3 in head. Eye in head 4.75 to 5.6; 

 snout 2.0 to 2.4; interorbital 7.0 to 7.6; maxillary 2.25 to 2.4; caudal 

 peduncle 6.3 to 7.2; anal base 3.3 to 4.5; ventral 3.2 to 4.0; pectoral 3.2 

 to 3.4. D. V-I, 8 or 9; A. II, 8 or 9; P. 12 or 13; scales, in lateral line, 

 130 to 140. 



The Mission secured specimens in the Gulf of Guayaquil, off Puerto 

 Pizarro, in Lobos de Afuera Bay, and at Pachacamac Island. One of 

 the larger specimens at hand was taken by R. E. Coker at Guanape 



