EDWIN CHAPIN STARKS 77 



Pani. The only other Achirus having a rudimentary left pectoral is A. in- 

 scriptiis Gosse, which has about 10 fewer dorsal rays, and has the body 

 covered with a net-work of fine lines. Only a single small specimen from 

 Porto Rico is at hand of the latter species for comparison, but there can be 

 no question of the validity of these two species. 



In A. achirus the head is contained from 3^ to 3^ times in the length, 

 and the depth from 1^ to 13/^ times. Counting from the upper part of the 

 operculum above the lateral line there are from 72 to 76 transverse series of 

 scales. The dorsal rays are not very variable in number, ranging from 61 

 to 63 in 14 specimens, the majority having 62. There are 3 pectoral rays 

 on the eyed side, and one, with occasionally a second short one, on the blind 

 side. The former is as long as the eye. The longest dorsal and anal rays 

 at the beginning of the posterior third of the fin are contained 1^ times in 

 the head. The caudal shows a slight angle at the tips of the median rays, 

 which form a fourth of the entire length, or a little less. The ventral of 

 the colored side is connected with the anal, but there is a rather deep notch 

 between. The scales are enlarged on the anterior part of the body above the 

 eyes, the anterior parts of the head, body, and fin rays are thickly covered 

 with hair-like tentacles on the blind side, and a few are around the mouth 

 and eyes of the eyed side. 



228. Apionichthys unicolor (GUnther). 



A couple of specimens taken at Para. The color is brownish, mottled 

 with darker elongate spots placed vertically. One of them is freckled with 

 dark brown specks. One has 3 ventral rays on the blind side, rather than 2. 



Family ANTENNARIID^.. 



229. Pterophryne histrio (Linnaeus). 



A small specimen was taken in the harbor at Natal. In life it was olive 

 green with the belly yellow, and large, round, yellow spots scattered over the 

 sides, as well as some obscure black spots. Over these colors were sparsely 

 scattered flakes of pure white. 



Family OGCOCEPHALID^. 

 230. Ogcocephalus vespertilio (Linnaeus). 



A couple of specimens were examined in the Rocha Museum at Ceara. 



