GILBERT AND STARKS — FISHES OF PANAMA BAY 147 



streaks radiate from above the ej'e; 4 or 5 small spots of blue on the interorbital 

 space; one or more blue streaks in front of eye, and a broad patch below eye. Teeth 

 green. Dorsal fin narrowly margined with bright green; below this the fin is 

 brownish golden, with an imperfect median green band, which is most distinct pos- 

 teriorly; a basal series of green spots is present. The caudal has the central rays 

 green, the outer ones yellow, edged with green. The anal is largely green, the 

 margin being more brightly colored than the rest of the fin. The pectorals are 

 brownish yellow, margined posteriorly with a translucent band; the upper ray has a 

 greenish margin. The ventrals are greenish white. 



There is considerable variation in the size and shape of the green streaks 

 about the eye. Those below the eye are usually wider than those elsewhere, the 

 middle group often coalescent to form a wide blotch. One pair, from upjier anterior 

 margin of orbit, sometimes extends well across the top of the head, meeting or nearly 

 meeting on the median line. 



Family EPHIPPID/E. 

 275. Chsetodipterus zonatus (Girard). 



This species comes abundantly to the Panama market, but seems not to reach 

 a large size. The longest specimen seen was less than 30 cm. in length, and had 

 not developed the thick bony masses on cranium such as appear in the adult of C. 

 faber. 



C. zonatus differs from its Atlantic representative C. faber principally in the 

 lower lobes of the vertical fins, the shorter ventrals, and the smaller scales. The 

 coloration of the two is essentially the same, there being no difference in the number 

 and arrangement of the bands. These may, however, be a little wider in zonatus, 

 which has also a more conspicuous black blotch on the pectoral. The fin-rays are 

 the same in the two species, the dorsal rays varying from 21 to 23, the anal rays from 

 18 to 20. 



The lateral line contains the same number of pores in the two species, 48 to 

 50, but the scales are notably smaller in zonatus, and are less regularly arranged. 

 The smaller scales on the head and on the vertical fins are also noticeably smaller in 

 zonatus. The widest portion of the black band which connects the front of the dorsal 

 to the front of the anal has 11 or 12 scales in a longitudinal series across it; in faber 

 there are usually but 6 or 8 scales across the widest portion of the band. In zonatus, 

 there are 18 to 20 scales in an oblique series on sides between axil and tip of pec- 

 torals; m faber, there are but 12 or 13 scales on corresponding part of sides. 



A specimen of zonatus 50 mm. long is very light grayish olive, the bars very 

 faintly indicated or wholly absent. The sides of head and body are marked with 

 scattered sharply-defined brown spots and blotches mostly smaller than pupil. Those 

 on head are arranged in a series along the line of the dark band. On the lateral 

 line, below last dorsal spines, a circular area of the ground color, as large as the eye, 

 is ocellated by a brown line. The third dorsal spine is slightly shorter than in C. 

 faber of the same size. 



