THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 481 



scutes or plates; lateral line often obsolete, undulating if present; 

 scales platelike, rough, usually bearing spinules; first dorsal with 

 three spines, the first one much enlarged; second dorsal and anal 

 long, similar, placed more or less opposite each other. 

 A single species is known from Peru. 



BAUSTES POLYLEPIS Steindachner 



Peje-chancho; Cochino 



Figure 91 



Balistes polylepis Steindachner, 1876, p. 21, Magdalena Bay, Mazatldn, and 

 Acapulco, Mexico (original description). — Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, 

 p. 131, pi. 12, fig. 2, Lobos de Afuera, Peru (references; description; com- 

 pared with B. naufragium Jordan and Starks).- — ^Nichols and Murphy, 

 1922, p. 511, Lobos de Tierra Island, Peru. — Meek and Hildebrand, 1928, 

 p. 790, Panama Bay (references; description; range). 



Head (to upper angle of gill slit) 2.8, 3.0; depth (at vertical from 

 second dorsal spine) 1.6, 1.8; D. III-26, III-26; A. 23, 24; P. 13, 13; 

 scales (series running upward and backward between gill slit and base 

 of caudal, in a large specimen) 70. 



Body deep, compressed, its greatest thickness about a third of its 

 depth ; ventral profile anteriorly more strongly convex than the dorsal ; 

 caudal peduncle rather short and slender, 2.8, 3.8 in head; snout long, 

 1.6, 1.3; eye small, 3.5, 5.8; preorbital groove well developed; inter- 

 orbital 3.1, 3.25; mouth small, terminal; lips moderately thin; teeth 

 strong, anterior pair largest, each tooth with a more or less definite 

 posterior cusp; lateral line not evident in the specimens at hand 

 (irregular and branched in some of the Panama material, not always 

 visible); scales rougher in young than m adult, extending forward 

 nearly to the lips, leaving no marked naked area about the mouth, 

 forming a sheath at bases of second dorsal and anal ; first dorsal spine 

 quite long and strong, inserted immediately behind vertical from pos- 

 terior margin of eye, 1.2, 1.5 in head, the other two spines small; 

 second dorsal with convex margin in young, notably elevated anteri- 

 orly in adult; caudal round in young, deeply concave, with the outer 

 rays much produced in adult; anal similar to second dorsal, its origin 

 a little posterior to that of second dorsal; pectoral short, rounded, 2.4, 

 2.1 in head; ventral spine short and broad, provided with rather 

 prominent lateral spines, the folds of skin behind it with barbs. 



Color uniform brown or grayish brown; lower parts somewhat 

 lighter than the back; membranes of spinous dorsal dusky, other fins 

 about same color as body in adult, plain translucent in young. 



The collection furnished by the Mission contains one small speci- 

 men, 53 mm. (42 mm. to base of caudal) long, taken in Sechura Bay. 

 Evermann and Radcliffe (see reference above) reported a large one, 

 now 440 mm. (315 mm. to base of caudal) long, collected at Lobos 



