454 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



fin deeply notched, the fourth to sixth spines longest, 2.6 to 3.0 in 

 head, next to last spine notably shorter than the last one; soft part of 

 dorsal with convex margin, the longest rays rather higher than the 

 longest spines; caudal convex, 2 to 5 upper rudimentary rays de- 

 veloped as spines; anal small, the second spine much larger than the 

 third, 1.6 to 2.0 in head; ventral inserted under base of pectoral, with 

 a strong spine, the longest rays 1.4 to 1.6 in head; pectoral broad, 

 reaching well beyond tip of ventral, the lower 9 or 10 rays simple 

 and with free tips, the middle rays longest, 1.3 to 1.5 in head, 3.1 to 

 3.4 in head. 



General color brownish; back and side with indefinitely and irregu- 

 larly outlined dark markings; back generally with three or four dark 

 areas under and on base of dorsal, extending to or below lateral line, 

 though occasionally appearing only as spots at and on base of dorsal; 

 caudal peduncle sometimes with rather definite alternating dark and 

 pale bars; ventral pale to slightly dusky; other fins pale, with dark 

 spots, those on pectoral forming wavy bars. 



The description is based on seven small specimens, 20 to 58 mm. 

 (15 to 45 mm. to base of caudal) long, in the collection furnished by 

 the Mission, which were dredged in Paita Bay, Paita Harbor, Lobos 

 de Tierra Bay, Lobos de Afuera Bay, and in Samanco Bay. These 

 evidently are identical with examples from Panama Bay and ap- 

 parently also with a few juveniles from the Gulf of California, with 

 which they were compared. Specimens from the Galdpagos Islands, 

 however, seem to belong to a different species. Sebastodes chincha 

 Nichols and Murphy, according to the description and figure, is 

 identical with the specimens herein described, though the modified 

 upper rudimentary rays of the caudal (first described and figured by 

 Nichols and Murphy) do not extend as far forward on the peduncle in 

 any of the specimens now at hand as shown in the illustration of 

 S. chincha. 



Range. — Gulf of California to Peru. 



Family TRIGLIDAE: Sea-robins 



Body elongate, usually little if at all compressed; head encased in a 

 bony armor consisting of rough plates, partly at least armed with spines ; 

 eyes placed high; mouth terminal or slightly inferior; premaxillaries 

 protractile; maxillary without a supplemental bone, slipping under 

 preorbital; teeth very small, in bands on jaws, and usually on vomer 

 and palatines; gill membranes free from the isthmus; gills four, a 

 slit behind the fourth ; pseudobranchiae present ; scales or bony plates 

 on body; dorsal fins two, the first with spines only, the second with 

 soft rays only; anal similar to second dorsal; ventral thoracic, far 



