296 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Pectorals rcacliiug beyond tips of veutrals, about to vent, their length 

 two-thirds that of the head. 



D. XIII, i;5; A. Ill, 6. 



Head densely covered with small scales ; a series across the cheeks 

 along- the upper edge of the suborbital stay usually numbering 30 to 40, 

 the increased number being due to the greater development of the ac- 

 cessory scales. 



Color rather light, bright orange-red, the back olive shaded, the belly 

 yellowish. Cheeks with red and yellowish shades. Head and body 

 everywhere closely covered with small roundish pale spots. The spots 

 above are light rose color; below are nearly white and larger. Four or 

 five roundish rose-colored spots on the back, besides some mottlings of 

 a similar shade. The llrst spot, often obscure, under the fourth dorsal 

 spine ; the next near the lateral line under the eighth dorsal spine ; the 

 next close to the junction of the two parts of the dorsal ; the fourth 

 under the end of the soft dorsal ; a fifth sometimes near the base of 

 eighth dorsal spine. Opercular fiap Avith a rosy spot. Fins light red- 

 dish, shaded with olive, or nearly uniform. Dorsal speckled at base 

 with light and dark. 



This beautiCul species was first noticed by us in Santa Barbara Chan- 

 nel, where a single example was obtained. It is abundant in the mar- 

 kets of San Francisco, where it has been confounded with rosaceus on 

 account of the similarity of the pink spots. The numerous stellate light 

 spots, however, distinguish it at sight. It is very closely related to 

 rosaceus, however. 



The discovery of three species in the waters of California having the 

 light spots supposed to distinguish S. rosaceus, invalidates the identifi- 

 cation of that si^ecies with the similarly spotted >S'. oculatus of Chili. 



Sebastichthys rastrelliger sp. nov. 



Body rather oblong, deepest at the shoulders, slowly tapering back- 

 ward to a rather deep caudal i)eduncle ; head short, rather blunt and 

 deep, the upper profile straight; mouth moderate, little oblique, the 

 maxillary reaching to the posterior margin of the eye, the premaxilliary 

 rather below the level of the eye ; jaws equal, the lower convex, not 

 produced at tip, and without symphyseal knob. 



Preorbital bone moderate, the width of its neck about two-fifths the 

 diameter of the eye, its free margiu sinuate, without spines. 



Eye moderate, anterior, its diameter about 4J in head. 



Eidges on head strong, but broad and depressed, ending in small 

 spines. The following pairs present : Nasal, preocular, supraocular, tym- 

 panic, and occipital, five in all. The occipital ridges are very long, equal- 

 ing the diameter of the orbit; preo[)ercular spines short and stout, the 

 two upper subequal ; oijercular spines usually verj^ broad and flat, their 

 I)Osterior edge sometimes serrated or bifid ; suprascapular spines strong; 

 spines on interopercle and subopercle small, sometimes obsolete ; inter- 



