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PROF. AOASSIZ ON EXTRAORDINARY FISHES FROM CALIFORNIA. 



[1858 



2. EMBIOTOCA JACKSON', AG ASS. 



Tlio body is quite high, of a.i oval form, greatly compiessed 

 and similarly arched above and below. The superior arch ex- 

 tends to the posterior base of the doisal fin, whence it continues 

 in a horizontal line to the base of the tail. The ventral arch of 

 the body is similar to that .of the dorsal outline. The profile from 

 the dorsal fin to 'the end of the snout, is rather precipitate and 

 regularly arched, except obliquely above and in front of the eyes, 

 where it is slightly concave. The greatest height of the body, 

 including the dorsal fin, is equal so the distance from the end of 

 the snout to the extremity of the pectoral. The head is of mo- 

 derate size, its length, measuring to the posterior .angle of the 

 opercle, being about one-fourth that of the entire fish. The 

 mouth is quite s.nall, the hinder extremities of the intermaxilla- 

 rics and maxil'aives extending not further back than the line of 

 the anterior border of the orbit. But a small portion of the su- 

 perior maxillary is exposed at the angle of the mouth. The ante? 

 rior edge of that part of the snout into which the intermaxillaries 

 fit, is on a horizontal line drawn immediately below the orbits. 

 The upper jaw is slightly more prominent than the lower, the 

 teeth cf the latter fitting within those of the former. In the upper 

 jaw there are fourteen or fifteen teeth; in the lower there are 

 two or three less. They are all slightly swollen near the top, and 

 are not pointed, but rather bluntly edged. They do not extend 

 to the angles of the mouth, but leave a space without teeth on 

 each jaw. The teeth of the upper jaw are bu t little larger than 

 those of the lower. The teeth of the pharyngeals are much 

 shorter than those of the jaws, and form two quite moveable 

 plates above, and a triangular one below. There are not more 

 than thirty teeth on each of the superior plates, and mostly trunca- 

 ted, at the top. The four or five teeth which form the inner row 

 of each plate, are more prominent than the others, and somewhat 

 pointed. The teeth of the inferior pharyngeal plate are similar 

 .to those of the upper, but the teeth of its posterior range are the 

 ■most prominent and pointed. The lips are rather fleshy, and 

 .entirely conceal the teeth. Beneath the lower lip there is an 

 .elongated pit on each side, extending towards the corners of the 

 •mouth ; it is covered by a thin border of the lip. The distance 

 from the end of the snout to the anterior border of the orbit is 

 greater than the diamatei? of the latter by one-third. The infe- 

 rior margin of the orbit is en the middle longitudinal line of the 

 body ; and its posterior body is half way between the end of 

 the snout, and the posterior angle of the opercle. The opercular 

 pieces are large. On the preopercle are four concentric rows of 

 scales; the two inner and anterior are the longer; there are thir- 

 teen large scales in the row nearest the eye, and the number is 

 less and less in the others. Still within the row nearest the eye, 

 there is a space without scales, and marked by pores radiating 

 -from the edge of the orbit. The posterior and inferior border of 

 -the preopercle, outside of the ridge of the latter, is thin, membran- 

 ous^ and without scales, but marked with numerous pores or tubes 

 similar to those* around the orbits, and radiating from within out- 

 wards. 



The opercle, subopercle and .inlei.opercle are covered with 

 scales, which decrease in size from the former to the latter. There 

 is a narrow membranous border to the operde, extending from its 

 posterior angle to the height of the termination of the lateral line. 

 The notch between the subopercle and the interopercle is on a 

 -vertical line with the edge of the posterior border of the preoper- 

 cle. There is a small patch of scales, nine or ten in number, 

 immediately above the superior attachment of the preopercle. 

 The dorsal fin extends over about three-fifths of the superior curve 

 of the body ; its posterior portion is one-third higher, as well as 

 longer, than its anterior. The spinous portion has nine or ten 

 rays, the length of the first of which is equal to one third that of 

 fhe last. At the point of each spine, the fin appeal's to extend 



backwards in a loose filament. There are 19£ articulated rays 

 in the doisal fin : the superior outline of this part is nearly simi- 

 lar to that of the back, although the rays of its fiist half are the 

 longest, and nearly equal in length. The furrow on each side 

 extends as fay forwards as the base of the first articulated ray, 

 where there are lows of scales forming the sheath ; but the rows 

 are reduced to one towards the posterior attachment of the fin. 



The pectoral fins are of rather large size, and are placed below 

 the middle line of the body, as wjlj as below the posterior angle 

 of the opercle, They extend about as near to the anal fin, as do 

 the ventrals. The second ray of the pectoral is but slightly arched 

 towards its extremity. There are twenty-one rays in each pectoral. 

 The base of the ventrals is just in advance of the middle of this 

 second ray .of the pectoial. The spinous ray of the ventrals is 

 three-fifths the length of the following articulated ray. There is 

 a long plate of scales between the ventrals. The £nal fin is 

 broad and composed principally of fine slender rays. The last 

 and longest of its spinous rays, equals in length one-fourth that 

 of the following articulated ray, which latter is equal to the cor- 

 responding ray of the doisal fin. The last ray of the anal fin is 

 placed nearer the caudal fin than that of the dorsal. The fin itself 

 at the base of the tail. The caudal fin is deeply forked ; it contains 

 fourteen rays, omitting its outer and short rays. There are eight 

 rows of scales between the lateral line and the spinous portion of 

 the dorsal fin, and eighteen rows below the lateral line in the same 

 region. Sixty scales in the lateral line. Colour uniformly dark 

 olive brown, along the back, fading slightly upon the sides; dor- 

 sal black, mottled with white ; caudal blackish, lighter upon the 

 base ; and deep black, with a light longitudinal band ; pectorals 

 white; ventrals black with ligln base. 



From the above description, it must he obvious that this is the 

 species first observed by Mr. A- C. Jackson, to whom I have in- 

 scribed it, or at least a species yery closely allied to it. There is 

 only one fact about it which surprises me, that while he observed 

 mature young in it on the 7th of June, Mr. T. G. Cary should 

 have found it still with young as late as the begipning of August, 

 Again Mr. Jackson saw nineteen young in it, whilst in the speci- 

 mens forwarded by Mr. Cary, I found only eight or nine young, 

 which were transversely banded like Emb. Caryi, May there he 

 two species so closely allied as to be easily mistaken i I must 

 add, that Mr. Jackson does not mention the mottled appearance 

 of the dorsal, nor the light band upon the anal of his fish ; which 

 renders the supposition more probable that there are"several and 

 not only two species of this remarkable genus, about San Fran- 

 cisco. I would, however, not forego the opportunity of connect- 

 ing the name of Mr. Jackson with his interesting discovery, and 

 have therefore called Emb. Jacksoni, that one of the species sent 

 me by Mr. Cary, which agrees most closely with his description, 

 leaving it for the future to decide whether this species is truly the 

 one he first saw, a circumstance which is quite immaterial, since 

 we already know two species of this extraordinary type. 



2. EMBIOTOCA CARYI. AGASS. 



The body is much more elongated than in Embiotoca Jacksoni 

 yet equally compressed. Its height, including that of the dorsal 

 fin, is less than the distance from the end of the snout to the ex- 

 tremity of the pectoral ; and less than one-half the length of the 

 fish. The profile is much less steep, and the snout quite as promi- 

 nent, hence the head is longer than high. The posterior border 

 of the orbit is nearer the angle of the opercle than the end of the 

 snout. The upper and lower curves of the body are equal, and 

 approach more nearly towards the tail, making this latter narrower 

 than in the first species. The scales of the back do not descend 

 upon the head lower than one-half the distance from the first 

 spine of the dorsal to the end of the snout. The forehead is 

 slightly concave as in Emb. Jacksoni. The posterior end of the 



