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330 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
DESCRIPTION OF A NEW AGONOID (AGONUS VULSUS) FROM 
THE COAST OF CALIFORNEA. 
By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT. 
Body elongate, tapering rapidly to the long tail, everywhere broader 
than high. It is highest and broadest at the shoulders, but is lower 
and narrower than the head. 
Head acutely triangular as viewed from above, the profile irregularly 
sigmoid; lower surface of head and body plane from the head to the tail. 
Mouth U-shaped, entirely inferior, the maxillary reaching to opposite 
the front of the pupil, the premaxillary in front to the base of the pos- 
terior pair of rostral spines. The distance from the anterior margin of 
the premaxillaries forward to the tip of the rostral spines equals more 
than half the length of the snout, more than half the diameter of the 
eye, less than one-fifth the length of the head. Lips thickish. Upper 
jaw protractile. Teeth small, in a villiform band, none evident on the 
vomer or palatines. Maxillary mandible and branchiostegal region 
with some small scattered cirri; under side of snout with few barbels or 
none. Eyes large, nearly as long as snout, 32 in length of head, the 
orbital bones forming a raised ridge around them. Interorbital space 
transversely concave, nearly straight longitudinally, with a lengthwise 
groove and two slight ridges. Profile depressed at the front of the eyes, 
thence nearly straight to the tip of the rostral spines. 
Spines on head highly developed. On each side a stout straight ros- 
tral spine projecting horizontally forwards; at its base a stout spine 
eurved backwards, upwards, and outwards; behind this a smaller one 
projecting upwards. Orbital ridge above serrated, and with two promi- 
nent recurved spines, one in front, the other behind; behind these a 
ridge on each side confluent with the dorsal ridges and each with four 
spines; between these the top of the head is roughish and somewhat 
concave, with traces of a median keel. At the occiput is a conspicuous 
pit between the above-mentioned ridges, broader than long and longer 
than deep. Just below these ridges, on each side, is another and more 
prominent ridge, also ending in four spines, the last very strong; this 
is continuous with the upper lateral keel of the body; below this, on the 
opercle, is a strong keel ending behind in a spine; still lower is an 
irregular ridge, armed with two or three irregular series of spines and 
tubercles, extending from the preorbital along the subortal and preop- 
ercle, ending in a stout preopercular spine; behind the pectorals this 
ridge again appears as the long lateral keel of the body. 
Along the lower margin of the preopercle are three or four more blunt- 
ish spines. There are on the head between seventy and eighty more or 
less developed spinous processes. 
Isthmus rather wide. . 
Body with four ridges on each side, formed by the series of scales. 
Each scale ending in a strong recurved spine, its roots forming stricz on 
