NEW FISHES 205 



snout to dorsal fin arcuate, very steep ; lower profile of body less con- 

 vex than upper; greatest depth at middle of body. Head about three 

 and one half in length ; mouth on level with lower edge of caudal 

 peduncle, small, curved slightly downward behind; lips thick. Teeth 

 in a single series, laterally compressed, somewhat antero-posteriorly 

 compressed at tips, entire. Nostril a little below eye, midway be- 

 tween eye and premaxilla. Eye four in head. Suborbital adnate to 

 cheek, outline of inferior border visible; posterior limb of preopercle 

 vertical ; angle of opercle with a small flat spine ; two smaller ones in 

 a crescentic notch on posterior border above angle. 



D. XIII, 17; A. II, 13. Dorsal spines all low, of uniform height, 

 except first and second which are shorter than the others ; soft dorsal 

 abruptly higher than the spinous dorsal ; anterior rays highest, almost 

 as long as head ; posterior rays rapidly decreasing to last w^hich is 

 lower than last dorsal spine; distal border of fin vertical, a little con- 

 cave. Second anal spine the longer, equal to last dorsal spine. 

 Aliddle rays of anal longest, about four fifths of longest dorsal ray ; 

 posterior rays somewhat longer than posterior dorsal rays, but base of 

 fin ends a little in advance of base of dorsal so that the posterior 

 borders of fins are about opposite. Depth of caudal peduncle one and 

 one half in head, dorsal and ventral outlines straight ; caudal fin 

 deeply divided into two rounded lobes, the upper considerably the 

 larger. Pectorals one and one sixth in head, fan-shaped, but upper 

 rays longest. Ventral simple, rays not produced, one and one fifth in 

 head. 



Scales 4-2S-13, those along middle of sides largest, most of them 

 with small accessory scales at their bases, these most numerous above 

 lateral line. Entire body scaled except circum-oral region as far back 

 as eyes ; scales on suborbital not well formed. Fins all densely scaly ; 

 spinous part of dorsal with scaly sheath almost concealing the spines. 

 Lateral line on twenty-two scales, ending below posterior part of soft 

 dorsal. ' 



Coloration in Life — Sides bluish-brown, back with scales hazel in 

 center, dark brown peripherally ; a broad light-rusty vertical bar on 

 sides above anus, tapering above and below, snout light brownish-red; 

 fins dijsky ; lips dusky-bluish ; belly and sides of head light brown ; 

 iris blue. 



The different specimens present but little variation. The crescent- 

 shaped notch which is present in all specimens on the posterior border 

 of the opercle above the spine is covered with membrane. Some 

 specimens have two small spines in the notch, as in the type^ while in 



Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., Sept., 1903. 



