22 ' Carl L. Hubbs 



Priapichthys annectens hesperis. new subspecies 



Gambitsia annectens Meek, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., 7, 1907, p. 145 (in part). 

 Priapichthys annectens Meek, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., 10, 1914, p. 114 (in part). 



This new form is represented in the collections of the Field ^Museum of 

 Natural History by a very large series of specimens from San Jose, Costa 

 Rica, a city on the Rio Maria Aquilar, an upper tributary of the Rio Grande 

 de Tarcoles (elevation, 1,165 meters) ; and from Tobosi (1,200 meters) ; and 

 San Isidro (1,260 meters), on other tributaries of the same stream. Lower 

 in the same basin the species appears to be replaced by Brachyrhaphis olomina. 

 The holotype is a female, 59 mm. long, from San Jose. Many female 

 paratypes are nearly as large, but the largest male among about 125 is 49 

 mm. in length, and none of the other males are longer than 36 mm. 



Body rather heavy; dorsal contour rather strongly arched before the dor- 

 sal fin, its greatest point of elevation being midway between tip of snout and 

 base of caudal (in smaller specimens the dorsal contour is less strongly 

 arched, and its highest point is at the origin of the dorsal fin) ; the iDelly is 

 rounded; greatest depth of body in length to caudal l^ase. 2.8 (2.8 to 3.4) ; 

 caudal peduncle deep, its length from anal fin to base of caudal, 2.8 (2.8 to 

 3.2) in length of body; least depth of caudal peduncle, 1.35 (to 1.45) in head. 

 The head is short, broad, and deep; its length to end of opercle, 4.3 (3.8 to 

 4.35) in length of body; its greatest breadth, 1.3 in its length; its depth below 

 occiput, equal to (or a little shorter than) its length. The flatness of the top 

 of the head is continued backward with decreasing width to the dorsal fin ; 

 least interorbital width, 1.8 (1.7 to 1.9). Length of the broadly rounded 

 snout, 3.2 (2.8 to 3.3) ; diameter of the eye, 3.7 (3.6 to 4.3), larger, of course, 

 in smaller specimens. The mouth is oblique and broad, but with well-devel- 

 oped lateral cleft; teeth conic, pointed, in bands, those of the outer series 

 spaced and moderately enlarged. 

 Scales in 31 (29 to- 31) series. 



Color in alcohol brownish, becoming lighter on the belly and on the flat- 

 tened back, but without a definite dark streak along the mid-dorsal line, nor 

 along the axial line of the body, nor along the edges of the caudal peduncle. 

 The scale-pockets are broadly margined with blackish brown except on the 

 under part of the body. In smaller females the scales on the lower part of 

 the body frequently have their pigment concentrated into apical spots, but 

 usually neither so definitely nor so extensively as in H. a. annectens; as in 

 that form the pigment of the median three rows of scales tends to be con- 

 centrated along the upper and lower margin of the scales of the axial series 

 posteriorly. Small females have dark vertical bars in the posterior part of 

 the body, separated by one or two scales. The dorsal fin is dark, with a row 

 of interradial black spots near base of fin; caudal dark to light dusky, the 

 scales on its base with conspicuous dark borders ; anal and paired fins dusky. 

 Fins usually smaller than annectens proper, but variable. The dorsal is 

 composed of 9, sometimes 10, rarely 8, rays, and its origin is nearly as close 

 to the caudal base as to the head, usually but not always farther back than 

 in annectens proper. The caudal is usually short and truncate, as long as 

 (or a fifth longer than) the depth of the caudal peduncle. Anal composed 



