THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 461 



b. Ventral fins nearly symmetrically placed, that of ocular side not median; 

 lateral line equally developed on both sides, with a prominent arch 



anteriorly Paralichthys (p. 463) 



bb. Ventral fins not symmetrically placed, that of ocular side median; lateral 

 line without an arch, being nearly straight. 

 c. Upper jaw with a pair of canines anteriorly; lateral teeth in lower jaw 

 strong; gill rakers few, very short, sometimes broad, spinous. 



Cyclopsetta (p. 466) 

 cc. Upper jaw without canines; teeth aU rather small; gill rakers longer and 

 slenderer. 



d. Mouth large, the maxillary reaching beyond middle of eye (in Peruvian 

 species); teeth about equally developed on both sides of jaws. 



Citharichthys (p. 467) 



dd. Mouth small, the maxillary failing to reach middle of eye (in Peruvian 



species) ; teeth less developed on ocular side than on blind side, missing 



on posterior half or so of both jaws on ocular side- _ Etropus (p. 469) 



Genus BOTHUS Rafinesque, 1810 



Body deep, ovate, rather thin; interorbital flat or concave, variable 

 in width, broader in male than in female in some species; lower eye 

 well in advance of upper; male with spines on snout and on orbital 

 margins in some species; mouth small or of moderate size; maxillary 

 about 2.8 to 4.5 in head ; teeth in jaws small, pointed, equally developed 

 on both sides or stronger on blind side, in two or more series, at least 

 anteriorly, in both jaws, none on vomer; upper angle of gill opening a 

 short distance above base of pectoral; gill rakers few, short or of 

 moderate length; lateral line developed only on ocular side, with a 

 distinct arch over pectoral fin, with a bifurcate branch behind upper 

 eye; scales small, cycloid or ctenoid on ocular side, cycloid on blind 

 side; no supplemental scales; first ray of dorsal over or in advance of 

 nostril, well in advance of eye. 



A single species, new to the fauna of Peru, is included. 



BOTHUS CONSTELLATUS (Jordan; 



Plaiophrys constellatus Jordan, in Jordan and Goss, 1889, pp. 264, 266, James 

 Island, Galdpagos (original description). — Meek and Hildebrand, 1928, 

 p. 978, Galdpagos Islands and Panama Bay (references; description; range). — 

 Norman, 1934, p. 232, fig, 176 (synonymy; description; range). 



Head 3.5 to 4.0; depth 1.4 to 1.7; D. 85 to 90; A. 62 to 68; P., ocular 

 side 11 or 12, blind side 10 or 11; scales about 72 to 79. 



Body ovate, very thin ; profile slightly concave in front of eyes ; head 

 short, deep; caudal peduncle very short, moderately deep, 2.25 to 



2.7 in head; snout in front of lower eye 4.6 to 5.0; lower eye its full 

 length in advance of upper one, 3.8 to 4.5 in head; interorbital very 

 broad and definitely concave in adults, proportionately much narrower 

 in small specimens, 3.1 to 3.9 in head; mouth small, oblique; lower jaw 

 projecting slightly; maxillary extending under anterior margin of eye, 



3.8 to 4.5, in head; teeth minute, principally in a single close-set series 



