232 University of California Publications. [Zoology 



Family BLENNID^. 

 213. Heterostichus rostratus Girard. 



KELPFISH. 



(Jordan and Evermann, 1898, III, p. 2351.) 

 Common in San Diego Bay. The young was not seen in the 

 winter, but was seldom absent from the contents of a seine in the 

 summer. 



Color in life: ground color light green; yellow on belly and 

 under parts. Back and sides with 3 or 4 longitudinal dark green 

 stripes, more or less broken up into spots, darker toward the 

 edges, and outlined with white. A similar stripe running from 

 snout through eye to upper end of gill opening. A white spot on 

 base of middle pectoral rays ; dorsal and anal mottled with alter- 

 nate dark green and translucent spots ; tip of mandible dark. 



This species may be known from other blennies by the promi- 

 nent hook-like process on the inner edge of the shoulder girdle, 

 together with the forked tail. It reaches a length of 18 inches, 

 and is abundant from San Francisco to Guadalupe Island (Jor- 

 dan and McGregor, 1898, p. 284). 



214. Gibbonsia elegans (Cooper). 



SPOTTED KELPFISH. 



(Jordan and Evermann, 1898, III, p. 2353.) 

 Common along the coast south of Point Conception ; a single 

 specimen from ^Monterey Bay. 



We can not agree with the late Mr. A. W. Greeley (1899, p. 

 20), who has reported this species inseparable from its northern 

 representative Gihhonsia evides. An examination of many speci- 

 mens from San Diego, San Clemente Island, San Pedro, and 

 Monterey Bay shows that there are two closely related but dis- 

 tinct species. 



Gibbonsia elegans differs from Gibbonsia evides in being gen- 

 erally smaller in size, somewhat deeper in appearance, having a 

 rounder contour of front part of head and snout, a larger eye, 

 higher dorsal and anal fins, and of more varied and brilliant col- 

 oration. The fin rays average less; the dorsal has from 27 to 29 



