722 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



gill opening than base of caudal. Scales very easily detached, the dor- 

 sal and anal fins apparently not scaly. Caudal moderately forked, the 

 middle rays being twice the length of the eye j pectorals shorter than 

 postorbital part of head ; ventrals a little shorter. Back broad. Green, 

 with a silvery lateral band, rather broader than a scale ; a triple verte- 

 bral streak ; lower jaw dark reddish brown ; fins plain. Southern 

 California and southward in sheltered bays, the young and half grown 

 frequently taken at San Diego ; the adlt found in abundance in brackish 

 or fresh-water lagoons farther south. (Named for Rosa Smith, now Mrs. 

 Eigenmann, then of San Diego, the first woman to discover and describe 

 new species of fishes.) 



Hemirhamphus rosse, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,1880, 335, San Diego, Cali- 

 fornia; (Coll. Jordan & Gilbert); JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 376, 1883. 



328. HEMIRAMPHUS, Cuvier. 

 (BALAOS.) 



HemirhampMs, CTTVIER, Regne Animal, Ed. i, n, 1817, (brasiliensis=browni). 

 Hemirhamphus, or Hemirrhamphus, corrected spelling. 



Body more robust than in Hyporhamphus and different in form, the sides 

 of body being compressed and nearly vertical and parallel. Head and 

 jaws as in Hyporhamphus. Dorsal longer than anal fin and inserted 

 farther forward, its last ray more or less produced in American species. 

 Ventral fins small and inserted well backward, much nearer base of 

 caudal than gill opening. Air bladder cellular, with many partitions 

 (in H. browni). Species probably numerous, but most of t'hem have not 

 been examined as to the characters which separate this genus from 

 Hyporhamphus. (fat, half; pa^of, beak.) 



a. Upper lobe of pectoral orange in life; length of pectoral scarcely greater than depth of 

 body. D. 14; A. 12; scales 53. BRASILIENSIS, 1072. 



aa. Upper lobe of caudal dull bluish in life; scales rather smaller; length of pectoral greater 

 than depth of body BALAO, 1073. 



1072. HEMIRAMPHUS BRASILIENSIS (Linnams). 

 (BALAO; ESCRIBANO.) 



Head (with lower jaw) 2f; depth 6f. D. 14; A. 12; scales 53. Body 

 not very slender, compressed, " slab-sided/ 7 the sides of body vertical, 

 and parallel with each other. Lower jaw (from end of upper jaw) 4| in 

 length from its tip to base of caudal. Head, without mandible, 5 in 

 length from tip of upper jaw. Premaxillaries broader than long. Eye 

 large, equal to interorbital space, f postorbital part of head. Ventrals 

 inserted well backward, midway between base of caudal and middle of 

 pectoral ; vertical fins scaly ; anal much smaller than dorsal ; last ray of 

 dorsal produced in a short filament ; pectoral length of head, its length 

 a little more than depth of body ; ventrals 2f in head; caudal deeply 

 forked, the lower lobe longest. Color in life clear deep blue green, much 

 darker than in Hyporhamplius vnifasciatus; sides silvery, without lateral 

 band; beak dark, its tip bright orange, its membrane edged with white; 



