THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 433 



concave near its upper angle in the paratype of A^. nepenthe as it is in 

 specimens of E. nodurnus. It was pointed out by Myers and Wade 

 that the lateral band in the first named species covers two complete 

 rows of scales, whereas it includes only one row in the other species. 

 N. nepenthe was described from Baja California and ranges to Oaxaca, 

 Mexico. A third new species, A^. nesiotes, was described in the same 

 paper from the Galdpagos Islands. This species, which I have not 

 seen, was described as having a very broad lateral band, covering 

 three complete rows of scales. 



Range. — Guayaquil, Ecuador to La Lagunilla, or between about 

 latitude 2°30' to 13°56' S. 



Genus BASILICHTHYS Girard, 1854 



Body long, slender; head moderately low, convex above; premaxil- 

 laries moderately curved, not protractile; scales on top of head re- 

 versed in imbrication; first dorsal small, with 1 to 6 spines, occasion- 

 ally missing; anal small with about 13 to 16 soft rays. 



A single species doubtfully comes within the scope of the present 

 work. 



BASILICHTHYS ARCHAEUS (Cope) 



Pejerret de Rfo 



Gastroptertis archaeus Cope, 1878, p. 700, Arequipa, Peru (original description). 



Pisciregia beardsleei Abbott, 1899, p. 342, Callao, Peru (original description). 



Atherinopsis regius Steindachner (not of Humboldt), 1902, p. 127, Rio Tambo, 

 Peru (description). — Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, p. 45, Rfo Rimac, 

 near Lima, Peru (description; affinity with related species discussed). 



Basilichthys archaeus Jordan and Hubbs, 1919, p. 87 (provisionally recognized 

 as distinct from B. microlepidoius (Jenyns) and B. semotilus (Cope)). 



Head 4.1; depth 5.0; D. IV-I, 11; A. I, 14; P. 15; scales 80, 17 

 complete through series between bases of second dorsal and anal. 



Body quite elongate, compressed; dorsal and ventral outline about 

 evenly convex; caudal peduncle rather strongly compressed, its 

 depth 2.5 in head; head low, scarcely deeper than long, broadly con- 

 vex above; snout rather long, projecting beyond mandible, 3.5 in 

 head; eye small, round, 5.0; interorbital broad, 3.1; mouth horizontal, 

 inferior; premaxillary moderately curved; maxillary extending below 

 anterior margin of eye; teeth in the jaws pointed, in a band in each 

 jaw; gill rakers about as long as pupil, 15 on lower limb of first arch; 

 scales small, cycloid, 7 rows between lateral band and origin of first 

 dorsal, 4 rows within lateral band; first dorsal with short slender 

 spines, reaching less than halfway to second dorsal, its origin somewhat 

 behind tips of ventrals; second dorsal with concave margin, its origin 

 a little behind that of anal, the fins being coterminal; anal only a 

 little longer than second dorsal, its origin about equidistant from 

 bases of pectoral and caudal, its base 6.4 in length; ventral short, 



