Jordan and Evermann: Fishes of North America. 1853 



greater than its length, its origin under beginning of soft dorsal; the 

 first spine shorter than second spine of dorsal; the second much stronger 

 and longer, \ length of head, longer than longest dorsal spine ; third more 

 slender, shorter, about equaling longest dorsal; soft rays about equaling 

 longest spine ; anal and dorsal fins equally distant from caudal ; pectorals 

 long, lj in head, their tips just passing first anal spine, inserted a little 

 in advance of ventrals and much below axis of body ; the upper rays 

 branched; veutrals close together, moderate, just reaching vent; caudal 

 moderate, about equaling pectorals in length. Cheeks well scaled, oper- 

 cles nearly naked, occipital region with a few poorly developed scales ; 

 body covered with moderate cycloid scales, about 47 in a longitudinal and 

 21 in transverse series ; the lateral line beginning at the upper angle of 

 opercle, then curving downward to a line vertical from the tips of the 

 ventrals, and then upward to near middle of base of soft dorsal, from 

 which it is nearly straight to caudal fin ; but few dermaj flaps upon scales. 

 Coloration in alcohol : body pale below, dark above, mottled with darker; 

 head dark, snout and jaws covered with fine punctulations ; a dark blotch 

 between the eyes, an irregular blotch extending from below eye to edge 

 of opercle, and another on suborbital just below pupil; spinous dorsal 

 with 3 dark blotches at base extending onto body, outer edge mottled 

 with black; soft v dorsal with a dark spot at the base, a black spot greater 

 than diameter of pupil on middle of outer part, and another on the tips 

 of the last rays; pectorals with 2 distinct black bars and mottled with 

 black near the base, the narrow outer edge white; axilla pale; ventrals 

 white on anterior half, the terminal half black; anal white, tips of last 

 rays with a black spot; caudal with 3 black bands, the first partly on the 

 peduncle, the second about equaling \ the eye in width, the posterior 

 edge at middle of fin ; the third on tip of fin, about equaling snout in 

 width. (Jenkins & Evermann.) Length about 4 inches. West coast of 

 Mexico; Guaymas, Mazatlan, etc. Common in shallow water. A small 

 species, closely allied to the group called Pontinus. 



Scorpcena sonorce, JENKINS <fc EVERMANN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1888, 150, Guaymas, Sonora 

 (Type, No. 39644. Coll. Jenkins & Evermann); JORDAN, Fishes of Sinaloa, in Proc. 

 Cal. Ac. Sci. 1895, 492. 



2247. SCORPCENA INERMIS, Cuvier & Valenciennea. 



Depth 4| in total length. D. XII, 8; A. Ill, 5; P. 19. Body elongate; 

 opercular lobe short, 2f- in head; eye 3 in head, equal to snout; interor- 

 bital space concave, 5 in diameter of eye ; orbit high up, maxillary reach- 

 ing posterior border of orbit; 2 pores along the lower jaw; the first sub- 

 orbital with 2 spines on its inferior border; preopercle spinous as in S. 

 plumicri, the other spines in the head less pronounced; the internal spine 

 ("coronal") of the principal frontal lacking; suprascapular with 2 par- 

 allel spines ; spines of dorsal unequal ; pectoral rounded, its first 2 rays 

 simple but articulated, the next 2 branched, the following 14 simple; 

 second anal spine very short, about 3 in height of body, almost equal to 

 diameter of eye; occiput without pit; supraorbital flap quite short, a 



