740 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Exoccetus bahiensis, RANZANI, Nov. Comm. Ac. Sci. Inst. Bonon., v, 1842, 362, pi. 38, Bahia; 



GUNTHER, Cat., vi, 293, 1866; POEY, Synopsis, 384, 385, 1868; LUTKEN, Vid. Medd. Naturh. 



Foren., 402, 108, 1876. 



Exoccetus vermiculatus, POEY, Memoriae, n, 300, 1861, Cuba. 



Exoccetus spilonotopterus, BLEEKEB, "Nederl. Tydschr. Dierk., in, 113, 1863," Sumatra. 

 ? Exoccetus parrse, POEY, Synopsis, 385, 1868, Cuba; description insufficient; taken from an old 



drawing. 



1093. EXOCCETUS CALIFORNICUS, Cooper. 

 (GREAT FLYING-FISH; VOLADOR.) 



Head 5; depth 6. D. 12; A. 10; scales 58 ; vertebrae 33 -f- 16 = 49. 

 Body stoutish. Lower jaw rather the longer ; both jaws with minute 

 teeth. Eye large, rather longer than snout, 3 in head, nearly equal to the 

 diameter of the slightly concave interorbital space. Pectoral fin reach- 

 ing past the dorsal and falling just short of the caudal ; second ray of pec- 

 toral divided, the third longest ; ventrals about reaching middle of anal, 

 their length 3f in body, their insertion midway between middle of opercle 

 and base of caudal. Anterior rays of dorsal half the length of the head ; 

 43 rows of scales between occiput and dorsal, 7 between the dorsal and 

 the lateral line. Steel blue above and on both sides, belly abruptly sil- 

 very ; pectorals blackish, with the posterior edge paler ; an obscure 

 oblique pale band across lower part ; caudal plain dusky; ventrals pale, 

 partly dusky ; dorsal rather pale, with a dusky blotch above. Length 

 18 inches. Southern California, Point Concepcion to Cape San Lucas, 

 very abundant in great schools in summer about the Santa Barbara 

 Islands. It is not known whither it retires in winter, as it has not been 

 seen outside of California, it being the only species known in the Eastern 

 Pacific north of Cape San Lucas. It is probably the largest of the flying- 

 fishes and has the greatest power of movement in the air. An excellent 

 food-fish, sometimes taken by the thousand off Santa Barbara. 



Exoccetus californicus, COOPER, Proc. Gal. Ac. Sci., in, 1864, 93, fig. 20, Santa Catalina Island; 

 GUNTHER, Cat., vi, 295, 1866; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 379, 1883; JORDAN & MEEK, 

 I. c.,15. 



1094. EXOCCETUS CALLOPTERUS, GUnther. 



Head nearly 4 in length (to base of caudal); depth 5. D. 11 or 12; A. 

 8 to 10. Anal fin short, its base | to length of base of dorsal ; its insertion 

 behind first ray of dorsal ; its rays 9 or 10 ; second ray of pectoral divided 

 (first simple); third and fourth rays longest; pectoral fins covered with 

 small, round, dark spots, the edges paler ; ventral fins pale, the middle 

 rays grayish, obscurely spotted ; other fins pale. Pectoral fins reaching 

 to end of dorsal ; ventral fins inserted midway between preopercle and 

 base of caudal, their tips reaching nearly to base of anal; dorsal fin 

 rather high, its anterior rays about half length of head. Scales 46, 34 

 before the dorsal fin, and 9 between lateral line and dorsal fin. Snout obtuse 

 and depressed, f diameter of eye, which is 3 in head, and less than width 

 of interorbital space, which is slightly concave. Length 10 inches. A 

 beautiful little flying-fish, common at Panama, but not yet seen elsewhere. 

 (KuAAof, beauty ; Trrepov, fin.) 



Exoccetus calloptents, GUNTHER, Cat., vi. 292, 1866, Panama, (Coll. Capt. Dow); GUNTHER, 

 Fishes Central Amer., 479, pi. 83, 1869 ; LUTKEN, Vid. Medd. Naturh. Foren., 401, 107, 

 1876; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., n, 1882, 109; JORDAN & MEEK, I. c., 65. 



