THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 475 



aa. Mouth smaller, the maxillary failing to reach beyond the middle of lower eye; 



body usually deeper, the depth being contained about 3.25 to 4.1 in length. 



d. Body becoming rather abruptly narrower posteriorly (not checked for 



fasciolaris) ; scales 90 to 100; teeth fairly prominent on blind side, missing 



on posterior half or so on jaws of ocular side (not checked for fasciolaris) . 



e. Dorsal with 94 rays; anal with 77; depth 3.4 in length; scales 95; body 



light olive, with numerous roundish brown-black spots larger than eyes; 



dorsal and anal posteriorly black; caudal jet-black, with white edge. 



fasciolaris 



ee. Dorsal with 89 to 90 rays; body brownish, not definitely spotted, often 



with dark areas or with indefinite dark cross bars; caudal not jet-black. 



/. Anal with 78 to 80 rays; scales 97 to 100; body brownish, some specimens 



with indications of cross bars; caudal, and posterior part of dorsal and 



anal, uniformly dusky atricaudus 



//. Analwith71 to 78rays; scales 90 to 96; body brownish, with dark areas 

 or cross bars; dorsal and anal posteriorly with black spots. 



atramentatus (p. 477) 

 dd. Body tapering gradually posteriorly; scales larger, 77 to 89. 



g. Dorsal with 92 to 95 rays; scales 77 to 80; depth 3.6 to 3.8 in length; 

 color grayish brown, many scales with dark centers, dorsal and anal not 

 notably darker posteriorly than anteriorly.paitensis, new species (p. 478) 

 gg. Dorsal with 100 rays; scales 89; depth 3.22 in length; general color 

 uniform brown, dorsal and anal pale anteriorlj^, dark to nearly black 

 posteriorly melanurus 



SYMPHURUS SECHURAE, new species 



Figure 89 



Head 4.9 to 5.6; depth 3.4 to 3.7; D. 94 to 98; A. 77 to 81; scales 84 

 to 89. 



Body moderately deep, tapering rather gradually posteriorly; head 

 small, its dorsal outline broadly convex; snout projecting in advance of 

 mouth, 4.5 to 5.2 in head; eyes small, the upper one well in advance 

 of the lower, in contact with each other, 9.0 to 14 in head; mouth 

 rather large, the jaws curved, the soft tip of snout overhanging the 

 gape anteriorly ; maxillary reaching nearly or quite to posterior margin 

 of eye, 3.6 to 4.8 in head; teeth minute, in a rather broad band in 

 each jaw on blind side, reduced to a single feeble series anteriorly 

 on ocular side, missing on posterior three-fourths or so, of each jaw 

 on this side; scales quite small, strongly ctenoid on both sides, some 

 of the serrae at middle of each scale often enlarged, scales extending 

 forward on head, nearly, but not quite, to its anterior margin on ocular 

 side, outlined but not ossified on snout and around the mouth on 

 blind side, 22 or 23 oblique series of scales between lower eye and 

 indentation in margin of opercle; dorsal fin of nearly uniform height 

 throughout, its longest rays about as long as snout and lower eye, its 

 first ray over anterior part of upper eye; caudal fin moderately 

 pointed, about half length of head; anal similar to dorsal, its first 

 ray about length of snout behind margin of opercle; ventral median, 

 at isthmus, removed from anal a distance about equal to length of 

 snout. 



