GILBERT AND STARKS — FISHES OF PANAMA BAY 135 



256. Polyclemus rathbuni {Jordan i£- Bollman). 

 Only the types reported by Jordan and Bollraan (1889, p. 102) from Panama. 



257. Polyclemus goodei {Gilbert). 



Plate XX, Figs. 40, 40a. 

 Paralonchurus {Zaclciuus) goodei Gilbert (Jordan & Evermann, 1898, p. 1480). 



The homodont dentition and elongate form of this species seem hardly suffi- 

 cient for generic separation from Polyclemus. Its nearest relative is probably P. 

 peruamis, Steindachner, a form with deeper body, but with scaly vertical fins and 

 with the outer row of teeth but very little enlarged. 



Head 3| to 4 in length; depth 4 to 4J; dorsal XI, 25 to 27, the spines varying from X to 

 XII; anal II, 7; 45 to 48 rows of scales running obliquely upwards and forwards from the lateral line. 



Elongate, with broad heavy head, the temporal region swollen, protuberant. Snout very 

 high and blunt, its anterior profile vertically rounded, little protruding beyond the prema.xillaries. 

 Length of snout 3,^ to 3| in head. Rostral and mental pores very large, arranged as usual. The 

 symphysial pore is bounded laterally by two membranous wings, continued forward from the man- 

 dibular margins, bearing many barbels. This is the condition also in Paralonchurus pclcrsi and in 

 Polyclenms fasciatus, no "multifid barbel" being present. The barbels in P. goodei are much larger 

 and more numerous than in any other species known to us. They are widely spaced, form a con- 

 spicuous series along the inner margin of the mandible, and become crowded into a dense fringe along 

 the anterior half of the margin of the interopercle. 



Mouth oblique, the ma.xillary reaching the vertical from the posterior edge of pupil, a trifle 

 less than one-third head. Teeth slender, villiform, none of them enlarged, those in the lower jaw in a 

 narrow band, in the upper jaw in a much wider band. Teeth nearly all with brown tips. Mouth very 

 protractile. Eye large, 2\ in interorbital width, one-fourth postocular part of head. Preopercle with 

 a membranous edge minutely crenate, spinulescent. Branchiostegal membrane very wide. Pseudo- 

 branchiae covered by membrane, partially concealed. Gill-rakers undeveloped, represented by soft 

 tubercles, of which there are 6 or 8 on the horizontal limb of arch. Two or three next the angle are 

 sometimes slightly longer and movable. 



Dorsal spines slender and fle.xible, the third the longest, equal to length of snout and half eye. 

 Tenth spine shortest. Soft dorsal and caudal densely covered with scales to their tips. No differ- 

 entiated sheath at base of soft dorsal. Anal fin without scales. First anal spine minute, the second 

 slender but not flexible, one-half to two-thirds length of longest ray. Caudal fin with the lower lobe 

 longest, conx'ex, the upper lobe concave. Longest caudal rays i| in head. Pectorals broad, reaching 

 vertical from tips of ventrals, but not nearly to vent, i^ in head. The ventral spine is inserted slightly 

 behind the vertical from the base of the lowest pectoral ray. Outer ventral ray produced into a fila- 

 ment about one-fourth total length of fin. The longest non-filamentous ray, i-| in head. 



Scales strongly ctenoid. Lateral line with a low wide curve, which grows abruptly steeper in 

 its posterior part, the lateral line becoming straight behind the middle of the anal fin. The scales of 

 the lateral line are enlarged, but are almost wholly concealed by smaller scales. 



Color dark grayish brown above and on sides, with greenish and bluish reflections; white 

 below. Back and sides with four broad inconspicuous cross-bars extending downward and slightly 

 backward; the first from predorsal region to base of pectorals; the second from end of spinous dorsal; 

 the third from base of eighth to twelfth, the fourth from twentieth to twenty-fifth rays of soft dorsjjl. 

 Basal portion of the anal fin, and the outer ventral rays yellow, the distal portions dusky; other fins 

 dusky, the pectorals darker on the inner face, black at axil. Lining of opercle dusky. 



