Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1369 



orbital portion; last dorsal spine equaling length of second anal, about 

 equaling length of snout, and about f as long as the third; first dorsal ray 

 fully 1| times as long as first dorsal spine; second anal spine stronger and 

 shorter than third, its length 3| in length of head; third anal spine con- 

 tained 3 times in length of head ; caudal forked, its length slightly less 

 than length of head, and very little greater than length of pectoral; the 

 pectoral reaching to the perpendicular through origin of soft dorsal; ven- 

 tral half as long as head; vent under the second ray of the soft dorsal. 

 The back with a slight tawny hue, interrupted as it blends with the white 

 of the sides by 5 or 6 indistinct scollopy incursions of the body color, giv- 

 ing the upper part of the side of the fish a marbled appearance. (Goode 

 & Bean.) Atlantic coast of tropical America, common; known from 

 western Florida, Key West, Jamaica, Santo Domingo and Bahia. (dimin- 

 utive ofharengus, herring.) 



EucinoBtomus harengulus, GOODE &. BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1879, 132, West Florida. 



(Type, No. 5145, IT. S. N. M. Coll. Kaiser & Martin.) 

 Gerres harengulus,* JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 584. 



1746. EUC1XOSTOMUS CALIFORXIKXSIS (Gill). 

 (MOJARRA CANTILENA.) 



Head 3; depth 2 to 2*; eye not very large, its diameter 3-1- in head; 

 snout 3 in head. Dorsal IX, 10; A. Ill, 7. Scales 5-45-9. Body ellip- 

 tical, compressed, back moderately elevated ; anterior profile little convex, 

 not very steep ; snout rather pointed, mouth moderate, maxillary reaching 

 almost to vertical from front of orbit, its length 3 in length of head; ex- 

 posed portion of maxillary triangular in front, oblong behind, its width 

 2 in its length, which is 4 in length of head; preorbital and preopercle 

 entire; premaxillary groove long, linear and naked in young specimens 

 (</raci/i*), becoming in older examples (calif orniensis} more or less oval 

 and sometimes forming a rounded pit. In the cranium the groove is 

 always linear, this variation being due to changes in the flesh and skin. 

 Gill rakers small and weak, 7 below the angle. Dorsal spines weak and 

 flexible, the longest 4 to 2^ in head; ventral fins short, their tips reach- 

 ing about halfway to anal, their length If in head; pectorals slender, their 

 tips reaching beyond vent; length of pectorals about equal to head; ven- 

 trals and caudal mostly covered with small scales; other fins naked. 

 Color in life silvery, greenish above; snout and upper part of caudal 

 dusky; spiuous dorsal punctate at base, usually abruptly black at tip, 

 especially in the young; the dark areas separated by a transparent hori- 

 zontal bar, these markings wanting in some specimens, perhaps females; 

 soft dorsal punctate; caudal with a faint dusky margin; ventrals pale. 



^ * In the paper on this genus by Evermaun & Meek (Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1886, 261), 

 Gerres harengulus, as represented by specimens from Florida and Cuba, was referred to 

 the synonymy of the west coast Eucinostomus gracilis (calif orniensis) . The two species 

 are very closely related. A comparison of specimens shows that harengulus has a blunter 

 snout, somewhat larger eye, and larger anal spines than calif orniensis. Eye 2| in head; 

 snout 3| ; second anal spine 2f to 3 in head in harengulus from Key West (3 j, 3|, 4 in 

 calif orniensis from Guaymas). It is, however, not always possible to distinguish haren 

 gulus, pseudogula, gracilis, californiensis and dowi, and perhaps all may prove to be 

 varieties of one, E. calif orniensix . 



3030 9 



