Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2367 



ceding scale; anteriorly the lateral line runs near the back and parallel 

 with it, becoming suddenly declined behind middle of trunk, thence run- 

 ning on middle of side; the oblique portion of lateral line rests on about 

 7 scales, and the externally visible tubes of lateral line begin at this point; 

 posterior portion of lateral line contained \\ to If in dorsal portion; 

 scales of lateral line, 45 in dorsal portion, 7 in oblique portion, and 18 in 

 posterior portion. A slight notch behind fourth dorsal spine, the second 

 and third spines slightly longer than those following, the first little longer 

 than the fourth, the longest spine about 2J in head; first 2 anal rays 

 spiuous, but weak and flexible; last dorsal and anal rays not joined by 

 membrane to caudal peduncle, the depth of the latter equaling the length 

 of its free portion; ventrals long and narrow, nearly reaching vent in 

 males, consisting of 1 spine and 3 simple rays; pectorals with some of the 

 lower rays longest, \\ in head; all of pectoral rays simple, 14 in number; 

 caudal fin truncate, 1* to 1 in head. Length 5 inches. Color dusky 

 olive above, with irregular narrow longitudinal streaks of bright coral 

 red, and 7 round black blotches above middle of sides ; reticulating red 

 lines and spots on top and sides of head and snout; branchiostegal mem- 

 branes dusky in males; 2 red streaks on base of pectorals; dorsal some- 

 what dusky, marked with lines of red spots; caudal with 3 rather faint 

 cross bars ; pectorals, ventrals, and anal largely black in males, pale in 

 females; the red shades persistent in alcohol. Santa Barbara Islands. 

 Three specimens from Albatross Station 2945, in 30 fathoms. (Gilbert.) 

 (Corallina, a calcareous alga, among which it lives.) 



Cryptotrema corallinum, GILBFRT, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1890, 101, off Santa Barbara 

 Islands. (Coll. C. H. Gilbert.) 



878. EXERPES, Jordan & Evermann. 

 Exerpes, JORDAN & EVERMANN, Proc. Gal. Ac. Sci. 1896, 232 (asper). 



Body slender, much compressed; the snout long, sharp in profile; first 

 dorsal ribbon-shaped, the 3 slender spines close together, inserted at the 

 nape, much in advance of the rest of the fin; ventrals very long and 

 slender. Otherwise as in Auchenopterus, the scales large, and but 1 soft 

 ray in the dorsal fin. (S^GO, without; epifrjs, creeper.) 



2711. EXERPES ASPER (Jenkins & Evermann). 



Head 3 (3f in total); depth 5* (6fr); eye 4 in head; scales 6-43-7, 

 about 40 pores. D. III-XXV, 1; A. II, 20. Body compressed; head nar- 

 row, pointed; snout long, lower jaw slightly the longer; mouth a little 

 oblique, cleft moderate, maxillary not reaching nearly to vertical at front 

 of orbit. Teeth in 1 well-defined outer series and a broken inner one, 

 those in the outer series strongest and of pretty uniform size, short and 

 broad ; vomerine teeth in a single patch ; no palatine teeth. No tentacles 

 of any kind about the head. Profile nearly straight from snout to origin 

 of first dorsal, but very slightly arched from there to base of caudal fin. 

 Scales rather large, cycloid, about 6 rows between origin of second dor- 

 sal and lateral line just behind its angle, and about 7 from there to mid- 



