52 FOSSIL FISHES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 



ably no more, the longest being the eighth, which is about half the depth 

 of the body; last spines shorter; soft dorsal short, lower than spinous 

 dorsal. Anal inserted well forward, about under the eighth dorsal spine ; 

 its second spine very long, strong, and curved, four-fifths the depth of 

 the body ; third spine slender, nearly as long ; rest of fin obscurely shown ; 

 pectoral and ventral obliterated ; caudal fin long, one and a fourth in 

 depth of body, obliquely truncate; its rays about fifteen; the caudal is 

 well preserved in the smaller example, the anal spine mostly obliterated. 

 Vertebrae strong, with strong haemal and neural spines, the number not 

 more than eighteen in all ; hypurals weak, obscure. 



This genus can hardly be placed elsewhere than among the SCOR- 

 P^NID^:, although its head characters are lost. In this family it is 

 uniquely distinguished by its few, strong vertebrae and its very large 

 anal spine. 



The name is from 'QO>HT|, strength ; 0(9x0?, for anal fin. 



Family HEXAGRAMMIDJE. 



46. Hexagrammos achrestus Jordan and Gilbert, new species. 

 (Plate XXIV, fig. 2) 



Type No. CXL from Lompoc, on a block of celite, a torso from 

 which the head and tail have been unfortunately cut away. What there 

 is left seems to agree in all respects with the living genus HEXAGRAMMOS, 

 abundant northward from Point Concepcion to Alaska. The species may 

 be placed provisionally with that group. 



Body elongate, the depth at front of anal three inches, which is the 

 length of eleven and a half vertebrae ; twenty vertebrae, representing most 

 of the caudal series, appear, the total number probably being about forty. 

 Vertebrae strong, not fluted, not much constricted, about as long as deep, 

 those posteriorly being longer. Neural processes rather short, wholly 

 straight; haemal processes longer, weakly curved. The dorsal seems 

 continuous but deeply notched in the middle ; the anterior part of rather 

 long, slender spines ; the posterior part of slender rays, rather higher. 

 The rays represented are XIV, 16=30, but the actual number of both 

 must have been somewhat larger. Dorsal spines 1% in depth at front of 

 anal, 1% in base of first dorsal. Anal inserted slightly behind front of 

 second dorsal, its rays about 18, rather lower than the dorsals. Inter- 

 neurals straight and slender, shorter than the straight and slender inter- 

 haemals. No stiff spines anywhere. No trace of scales. Caudal, ventrals 

 and pectoral lost, as also the head. 



