THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 479 



Color grayish brown, the smaller specimen with irregular light spots; 

 opercular region darker than rest of fish; many scales with dusky 

 centers; each ray of dorsal and anal dusky in the larger specimen, 

 three or four rays darker with about an equal number of lighter rays 

 between in the smaller specimen; caudal slightly dusky, with sug- 

 gestions of darker cross markings in the larger specimen; pale, with an 

 elongate dark area in center, in the smaller one. 



This apparently new species is represented by two specimens, 100 

 and 45 mm. (91 and 40 mm. to base of caudal) long, in the collection 

 furnished by the Mission. The larger one (U.S.N.M. No. 128172), 

 which was dredged in Paita Harbor, on muddy bottom in about 5 

 fathoms, has been designated as the type. The proportions and 

 enumerations given first in the description apply to this specimen. 

 The smaller example, which differs somewhat from the larger one in 

 color only, was taken with an otter trawl in Sechura Bay. 



The smaller mouth and larger scales distinguish this species from 

 S. sechurae. The large scales also help to distinguish this species from 

 S. atramentatus and from the other forms from the Pacific coast of 

 America. Its grayish-brown color, and the fairly uniform color 

 throughout the dorsal and anal fins also are fairly distinctive. 



Range. — Known only from the type material from Paita Bay and 

 Sechura Bay, Peru. 



Family ECHENEIDAE: Remoras 



Body moderately elongate to slender; head depressed above, its 

 upper surface provided with an oval disk consisting of a variable 

 number of crosswise partitions or laminae and a single median length- 

 wise septum; mouth large; lower jaw projecting; teeth small pointed, 

 in bands on jaws, vomer, palatines, and usually on tongue; gill mem- 

 branes free from isthmus; gills four; branchiostegals seven; scales 

 minute; dorsal and anal fins long and low; ventral fins thoracic; 

 pectorals inserted high on side. 



The remoras are widely distributed in warm seas and usually are 

 found adhering to large fish or turtles by means of the disk on the 

 head. A single genus has been reported from Peru. 



Genus REMORA Gill, 1863 



Body rather robust; disk relatively short, with 13 to 18 laminae; 

 soft dorsal with 22 to 32 rays; anal with 22 to 30; caudal with straight 

 to shghtly concave margin; pectoral short, rounded. 



Two species have been reported from Peru. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



a. Disk with about 18 laminae; dorsal with about 23 soft rays; anal with 



25 remora (p. 480) 



aa. Disk with about 12 laminae; dorsal with about 17 soft rays; anal with 

 20_- clypeata (p. 480) 



