Vol. 3] Starks-Morris.— Marine Fishes. 169 



Width of snout at front of eyes equal to distance from tip of 

 snout to between posterior edge of spiracles, or three times inter- 

 spiracle width. Interorbital cartilage contained 414 times in 

 same distance. Eostral ridges running parallel and rather close 

 together along their anterior half. Width of mouth contained 

 2|/4() in distance from tip of snout to between anterior edge of 

 nostrils. Least width between nostrils 4% in same distance. 

 Width of body at posterior angle of pectorals equal to distance 

 from tip of snout to margin of orbit. Distance across pectorals 

 1% in distance from tip of snout to first dorsal. Anterior slant 

 of dorsals equal, and contained 1% in snout to posterior edge of 

 spiracles. Very conspicuous lateral folds along lower side of 

 body. Claspers reaching nearly to opposite front of first dorsal. 

 Shagreen at tip of snout, around front of orbit, and posterior 

 inner edge of spiracles enlarged and polished. A narrow band 

 of irregular spines along back, and a small bunch of humeral 

 spines. No spines on rostral ridges. Larger specimens are some- 

 what broader. 



Small specimens of about a foot in length have the spines on 

 the back larger and sharper, and in addition have spines along 

 the rostral ridges, and around the inner and anterior borders of 

 the eye. A wide flat digitate flap is present on the upper surface 

 of the tip of the snout in the young of both sexes, up to 15 or 16 

 inches in length. A female specimen 22 inches long has the ros- 

 tral flap nearly absorbed, only the fringed posterior edge remain- 

 ing; the rostral ridges are coarsely roughened. The position of 

 the flap" is marked in the adult of all ages by a transverse slit at 

 the tip of the snout. 



We may here call attention to the following mistakes occur- 

 ring in the description by Jordan and Evermann. The rostral 

 ridges are nowhere confluent, but are parallel along their anterior 

 half. The rostral flap is not confined to the female, but is equallj^ 

 developed in the young of both sexes. The black spot under the 

 tip of the snout is seldom present in the adult, but is nearly al- 

 ways in the young. 



This species is found from San Francisco (Jordan and Gil- 

 bert, 1880, p. 458) to San Diego. 



