Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1497 



robust ; the middle ones highest and rather higher than the soft rays ; anal 

 fin short and deep, below 7 caudal vertebra}, with strong spines; male with 

 a deep depression at base of anterior anal rays, a gland below middle of 

 the depression; vertebne (A. minima) 14 -f 20 34. Species of small size; 

 partly or wholly herbivorous, living in rock pools and feeding on sea- 

 weeds Coloration variegated. (A coined name without meaning.) 



a Dorsal rays IX, 14; anal III, 1C; sides with a dusky band, besides dark cross bars 



and spots. MINIMA, 1880. 



aa Dorsal rays IX, 17; anal III, 20; a diffuse lateral shade of orange besides dark dots 



and shades; a dark axillary blotch. AURORA, 1881. 



1880. ABEONA MINIMA (Gibbons). 



Head 3; depth 2. D. IX, 14; A. Ill, 16; scales 4-45-12. Body oval, 

 compressed, with thick short caudal peduncle and very short head. Pro- 

 tile moderately depressed above the eyes. Spinous dorsal rapidly rising 

 to the fifth or sixth spine, thence gradually descending ; spinous dorsal 

 higher than soft part, the last spine as high as first soft ray; pectorals 

 not reaching as far as ventrals, which reach about to the front of anal; 

 third anal spine not much longer than second; highest dorsal spine equals 

 snout and eye ; third anal spine 3 in head ; pectoral 1^ ; origin of ventral 

 spine about the width of a scale behind the vertical from pectoral base. 

 Cheeks with scales in 2| series. Color greenish above with bluish reflec- 

 tions, thickly dusted with black dots; an irregular longitudinal black 

 band along axis of body, and 2 vertical dark bars downward from base of 

 dorsal fin on which they appear as blotches; sides often with much light 

 yellow ; axil of pectoral black ; ventrals and anal tipped with black. 

 Length 6 inches. San Francisco to San Diego; rather common; the 

 smallest of the family, (minimus, smallest.) 



Cymatogaster minimus, GIBBONS, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1854, 125, San Francisco Bay. 

 Holconotus trowbridgii, GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1854, 152, no locality given. 

 Abeona troivbridgii, GlRARD, U. S. P. K, R. Surv., X, Fishes, 186, pi. 34, figs. 6-10 t 1858. 

 Abeona minima, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 587, 1883 ; EIGENMANN & ULREY, I. c., 398. 



1881. ABEONA AURORA, Jordan & Gilbert. 



Head 4; depth 2f. D. IX, 17; A. Ill, 20; lateral line 45. Body elongate, 

 with a very long and rather thick caudal peduncle. Head transversely 

 very convex above, and with a blunt snout. Mouth small, oblique ; max- 

 illary reaching but the distance to front of orbit. Spinous dorsal with 

 the fifth to the ninth spines highest, and about equal to the longest soft 

 ray. Caudal forked for nearly | its length. Scales on cheeks in 3 dis- 

 tinct series. Color bluish black above, becoming lighter on sides and 

 silvery below. Opercles and lower -- of sides punctate with black dots 

 and shaded with light orange, the latter more intense on the centers of 

 the scales and forming a diffuse lateral band : a broad grayish streak back- 

 ward from pectorals to opposite origin of anal, this streak without orange 

 tint and with the margins of the scales dark by aggregation of black 

 points; young specimens with the bright lateral shade more distinct, and 

 3030 17 



