422 ■ DE. GtJNTHEE ON THE FISHES OF CENTKAL AMERICA. 



culuin finely senated, with a small spine above the angle. The vomerine teeth form a 

 rounded patch ; the band of the palatine teeth is as broad anteriorly as the front part 

 of the intermaxillary band. Operculum black. 



A single specimen, 15 inches long, was obtained by Mr. Salvin at San Jose. 



Description. — This fish is elongated in form, its greatest height being contained five 

 times and a half in the total length, with the caudal, and four times and one-sixth 

 without it. The tail is compressed, its height above the end of the anal fin being half 

 the length of the head. The head is much longer than high, and is contained four 

 times and two-thirds in the total length with the caudal, and thrice and one-third with- 

 out it ; its width between the eyes is two-ninths of its length. Snout produced beyond 

 the mouth, obtusely conical, and shorter than the diameter of the eye, which is con- 

 tained five times and a half in the length of the head. The cleft of the mouth is 

 situated on the inferior side of the head, it is extremely wide, the maxillary being more 

 than half the length of the head. The posterior margin of the preeoperculum is finely 

 serrated ; the angle is produced, forming a rounded membranaceous lobe. The posterior 

 margin of the opercular apparatus is membranaceous, rounded, and formed by the oper- 

 culum and suboperculum. The origin of tlie first dorsal is in the vertical from the ninth 

 scale of the lateral line, or from a point aboiit midway between the pectoral and ventral 

 fins. The first spine is minute, the second is the strongest, all the others being flexible ; 

 the third is the longest, contained once and two-thirds in the length of the head ; the 

 fourth is longer than the second, and the following rapidly decrease in length. A series 

 of scales ascends behind the second, third, and fourth spines, but disappears at the fifth ; 

 the distance between the two dorsals equals the length of the base of the second, which 

 is entirely covered with scales and has the upper edge strongly emarginate ; the second 

 ray is the longest, nearly as high as the spinous dorsal, and twice the height of the last 

 ray. The distance between this fin and the caudal is one-fourth of the total length 

 (without caudal). The caudal fin is completely covered with scales, deeply forked, with 

 the lobes pointed, the upper one being slightly the longer, and one-fourth of the total 

 length. The distance between the anal and caudal fins is less than that between the 

 caudal and dorsal, as the termination of the anal falls behind that of the dorsal, and in 

 the vertical from the 52nd scale of the lateral line. It is entirely covered with scales ; 

 and its origin corresponds to that of the seventh ray of the dorsal ; its lower edge is 

 emarginate ; the first spine is very small, the second being only one-third the length of 

 the first ray ; the first and second rays are the longest, and about thrice the length of 

 the thirteenth or final ray, which, however, is rather longer than the one which pre- 

 cedes it. The pectoral is nearly one-sixth of the total length ; its root is covered with 

 minute transparent scales. The free pectoral appendages are long, the third and fourth 

 being the longest, considerably longer than the pectoral fin, and reaching to the vent; 

 the fourth is one-eighth of an inch longer than the head. The root of the ventral fin 

 falls behind that of the pectoral, and in a vertical from the twelfth scale of the lateral 



