468 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 

 CITHARICHTHYS GILBERTI Jenkins and Erermann 



Tapadero 



Citharichthys gilberti Jenkins and Evermann, 1889, p. 157, Guaymas, Mexico 

 (original description). — Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, p. 141, Tumbes, 

 Peru (references, description; range). — Meek and Hildebrand, 1928, p. 

 987, Panama Bay (synonymy; description; range). — Norman, 1934, p. 152, 

 fig. 105, Mexico, Panama, and Ecuador (synonymy; description; range). 



Head 3.5 to 3.8; depth 2.1 to 2.25; D. 85 to 89; A. 61 to 66; P. 10 

 or 11 on ocular side, 9 or 10 on blind side; scales 46 to 50 on ocular 

 side, 44 to 47 on blind side. 



Body oblong, rather thin; profile scarcely concave over eyes; head 

 rather small; caudal peduncle very short, deep, 1.9 to 2.3 in head; 

 snout (in front of lower eye) 5.3 to 5.7; eye 5.6 to 7.25; interorbital a 

 narrow bony ridge in small specimens, somewhat broader and flat in 

 large ones, 3.1 to 5.5 in eye; mouth rather large, strongly oblique, 

 terminal; jaws curved on each side; maxillary reaching under posterior 

 margin of pupil, 2.5 to 2.7 in head; teeth rather small, sharp, largest 

 anteriorly; gill rakers moderately slender, the longest ones about 

 two-thirds length of eye, 13 to 15 on lower and 5 or 6 on upper limb 

 of first arch; lateral line slightly decurved over pectoral; scales moder- 

 ately large, smaller anteriorly, finely ctenoid on ocular side, cycloid 

 on blind side, accessory scales few, present principally along lateral 

 line, small scales extending on the rays of the unpaired fins and for- 

 ward to interorbital, 2 or 3 fewer in lateral series on blind side than on 

 ocular side; first ray of dorsal over posterior nostrU, a little in advance 

 of upper eye; caudal round to slightly angulate, the middle rays long- 

 est, a little shorter than head; first ray of anal under, or slightly behind, 

 base of pectoral; ventrals of about equal length, the one of ocular 

 side on ventral edge, 2.7 to 3.25 in head; pectorals more or less pointed, 

 the longest rays in upper part of fin, the fin on ocular side the longer, 

 and sometimes with one more ray, 1.75 to 2.0, and that on blind side 

 2.2 to 2.5 in head. 



Color brown, with dark blotches; fins lighter, the dorsal and anal 

 with rather large dark markings, variable, the other fins of ocular 

 side with smaller dark spots or specks. 



This species was recorded from Tumbes, Peru, by Evermami and 

 Radcliffe (see reference above) from two specimens secured by R. E. 

 Coker, one of which is before me now. The description is based on 

 this specimen and four others collected at Guayaquil, Ecuador, by 

 W. L. Schmitt. These five specimens, all from the Gulf of Guaya- 

 quil, ranging in length from 120 to 215 mm. (96 to 170 mm. to base 

 of caudal), were compared with several from Panama Bay and one 

 from Mexico and were found to agree very well. 



Range. — Baja California to northern Peru. 



