FISHES OF WEST COAST OF PERU. 157 



Head 3.08 in length; depth 6.52; eye 5.68 in head; snout 3.37; 

 maxilhiry 2.15; interorbital 3.9; pectoral 1.37; ventrals 2.27; D. 

 11-38; A. 38. 



Body elongate, slender, tapering evenly to base of caudal; head 

 long, low ; interorbital broad, flat ; eye large, posterior border of eye 

 midway between tip of snout and posterior border of opercle ; mouth 

 large ; lower jaw longest ; maxillary reaching vertical from middle of 

 eye; teeth in jaws long, slender, curved, very sharp, mainly in two 

 rows; similar teeth on vomer, none on palatines; opercular bones 

 weak ; opercle ending in a weak spine. First dorsal higher than the 

 second; second, third, and fourth rays about equal, longer than 

 others, 2.75 in head; second dorsal and anal each with a deep emar- 

 gination in the center; caudal rounded; ventrals narrow, their tips 

 reaching two-thirds distance from their base to origin of anal; pec- 

 toral long and narrow, tip extending to above sixth anal ray. Scales 

 deciduous, small; lateral line decurved. 



Color in alcohol, dusky on back, becoming lighter on belly; fins 

 dusky ; some of lower rays of pectoral, black. Description taken from 

 field No. 09539, from Paita. 



A smaller example from Callao has head 2.9 in length ; depth 5.68 

 eye 5.55 in head; snout 3; interorbital 3.6; pectoral 1.35; ventrals 

 2.1; D. 11-37; A. 39. Color in alcohol, rosy, dusky on back, silvery 

 on belly; opercle blackish; fins blackish; anterior anal rays and 

 shortened rays in center of second dorsal and anal, whitish. 



Guichenot's figure of this species does not show the shortened rays 

 in the center of second dorsal and anal. 



This species is very close to the northern Pacific form, 71/. fro- 

 ductus^ and occurs on the coasts of Peru and Chile. 



