DR. GtJNTHER ON THE FISHES OF CENTRAL AMERICA. 417 



rounded, and with the hind margin slightly concave. The spinous and soft portions of 

 the dorsal fin are separated by a deep notch, the spine of the soft portion being nearly 

 twice as long as the preceding. Dorsal spines long, of moderate strength : the third is 

 the longest, and one-half, or more than one-half, as long as the head. Anal spines 

 rather strong : the third is a little longer than the second, equal to the seventh dorsal 

 spine, and more than one-third of the length of the head. Caudal fin emarginate. 

 Each soft ray of the vertical fins is accompanied by a series of minute scales. The 

 pectoral fin extends to the vertical from the oiigin of the anal in the younger example, 

 but is shorter in adult ones. Scales smooth, bright silvery; young specimens with 

 several very indistinct dai-k cross bands on the back, the first from the nape of the neck 

 to the gill-opening, the second below the seventh dorsal spine, the third below the last 

 dorsal spine ; old specimens with the marginal membrane of the operculum black. 



One specimen, 7^ inches long, was found by Mr. Salvin at San Jose. Three others, 

 from 11 to 12 inches long, are from Chiapam ; and Capt. Dow found it also at Panama, 

 where it does not appear to be rare. 



30. CONODON PACIFICI. (PI. LXIV. fig. 3.) 

 Giiuth. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 147. 



D. lllig. A. ^. L. lat. 47. L. transv. 7/13. 



Diagnosis. — The spinous teeth at the angle of the prseoperculum are not much 

 stronger than the others. The height of the body is contained twice and two-fifths in 

 the total length (without caudal). 



One specimen, 12| inches long, was collected by Mr. Salvin at Chiapam. 



Description. — The body is compressed, and considerably elevated ; its greatest height, 

 which is below the fifth dorsal spine, is contained twice and three-fourths in the total 

 length. Upper profile rounded from the first doi-sal spine to the nape, concave over 

 the eyes, whence it descends abruptly over the snout. The upper surface of the head 

 is very broad, the space between the eyes being nearly twice the width of the orbit. 

 The snout is thick and obtuse ; the lips thick and fleshy. Teeth in a villiform band in 

 both jaws, with an outer series of conical teeth. Chin with a median groove and a 

 pair of pores. Posterior limb of prfeoperculum straight, regularly and distinctly 

 serrated, the teeth becoming gradually a little larger at the angle, and continued on 

 the lower limb ; the entire surface of the praeoperculum is covered with scales, which, 

 ai-e smaller than those of the operculum, and reach to the margin of the bone. The 

 operculum has a notch behind, between two obtuse and feeble points. Suprascapular 

 margin indistinctly toothed or roughened. The origin of the dorsal is in the vertical 

 from the root of the pectoral, and its termination is vertically opposite to that of the anal ; 

 the base of the spinous portion is nearly twice as long as that of the soft. The spines 

 are strong, broader alternately on one side than on the other ; the first is small, not 

 quite one-half the length of the second, which is rather more than half that of the 



VOL. VI. — PART VII. 3 M 



