24 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



turned to ward the eyed side; lips large, not fringed, the upper with a 

 small blackish papilla in advance of lower eye. This is apparently nor- 

 mal, but it may be a detached piece of skin, hardened by the alcohol. 

 Upper jaw scarcely produced, not forming a hook. Teeth small, on the 

 blind side only, the edge of the jaw on the eyed side forming a smooth 

 ridge. 



Gill-openings narrow, not extending up to the level of the mouth. 

 Scales very small, ctenoid, pretty regular over the body, much smaller on 

 the head, the rows of scales rendered very distinct by black dots, the 

 stripes converging towards the snout. Scales on the two sides of the 

 body similar. No lateral line on either side. About 105 scales (100 to 

 110) in a longitudinal series from the head to the tail; 45 to 50 in a 

 cross-series. 



Dorsal fin beginning on the head, continuous with the anal around the 

 tail. Yentral fin of the colored side only present, nearly on the ridge of 

 the abdomen, and separated from the anal by an interval half longer than 

 the cleft of the mouth. Eays of the middle parts of the dorsal and anal 

 tins with a fleshy border at base on the blind side. 



Dorsal rays about 100; anal rays 80; no distinct caudal fin. 



Coloration brownish olive, with vertical dark half-bars, irregular in 

 size and position, some of them coming down from the back and others 

 up from the belly, these posteriorly nearly meeting, but anteriorly alter- 

 nating. Streaks of dark points along the rows of scales, these forming 

 very distinct longitudinal streaks. Posterior part of dorsal and anal 

 broadly edged with black. liight side plain white. 



Measurements. 



Inches. 



Length 4.8 



Depth (proportion of length) 275 



Length of head , 18 



Diameter of eye U2 



Interorhital space 01 



Cleft of mouth 06 



Length of snout 045 



Distance from snout to dorsal 085 



Distance from snout to anal 25 



Height of dorsal 08 



Height of anal 085 



Length of caudal 08 



Length of % entral 05 



Interval between ventrals and anal 085 



Depth of gill-oj)ening 095 



This species is known to us from a single specimen taken by a Chinese 

 fisherman. Ah Sam, in the Bay of San Diego. This specimen is now in 



the collection of the United States National Museum, No. . In 



form and number of scales, fin-rays, etc., it resembles Aphoristia or- 

 nata from the West Indies, but the ventral fin is remote from the anal. 



