Vol. 3] Starks-Morris.— Marine Fishes. 215 



and can be readily distinguished by that character alone. Black 

 or very dark brown with blotches of clear, warm, brownish yellow 

 in more or less definite areas. The dark color predominating 

 above, the yellow below. 



167. Sebastodes serriceps (Jordan and Gilbert). 



TREEFISH. 



(Jordan and Evermann, 1898, II, p. 1827, fig-. 667.) 



A small specimen taken at San Pedro. This is a moderate 

 sized rockfish found in rather shallow water from San Diego 

 (Eigenmann, 1892, p. 168) to San Francisco. It is strikingly 

 marked Avith about seven black crossJ^ands on a ground of yellow 

 shading to coppery red. 



168. Scorpaena guttata Girard. 



SCULPIN : SCORPENE. 



(Jordan and Evermann, 1898, II, p. 1847.) 



Rather common in San Diego Bay. Young specimens have a 

 broad, light cross-band, its width equal to length of maxillary, 

 extending across middle of body and involving posterior % of 

 spinous dorsal, front of soft dorsal, tips of pectoral and ventral, 

 and anterior edge of anal. Another similar but somewhat nar- 

 rower band across the posterior part of the body and i)osterior 

 half of dorsal and anal. A third band on basal % of caudal fin, 

 and a light border on caudal fin posteriorly. A specimen in the 

 collection of the ^Marine Biological Association's laboratory at 

 La Jolla has 13 spines in the dorsal. 



Found from Ascension Island on the west coast of Mexico 

 (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881a, p. 278) northward to Monterey (the 

 type locality). It reaches a length of a foot and is a food fish of 

 fair quality. The wound made by the dorsal spines of this fish 

 is said to be exceedingly painful, like the sting of a sting-ray. 

 From this fact it doubtless has received its common name Scor- 

 pene — Scorpion. 



