no. 2075. FISHES FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— GILBERT. 351 



Opercular ridge much more conspicuous than in latifrons. Margin 

 of preorbital entire. 



Mouth wide, maxillary extending scarcely beyond the front of the 

 orbit. Teeth in wide villiform patches in jaws and on vomer and 

 palatines, the vomerine patch emarginate posteriorly. Two barbels 

 constantly present on the end of the maxillary, the anterior the 

 shorter. Four barbels arise from the margin of pores near man- 

 dibular symphysis. Branchiostegal membrane with an extermely 

 narrow free-fold posteriorly, where it crosses the throat. Eye con- 

 tained slightly more than three times in the length of the side of the 

 head; on the eyeball above the pupil a series of 5 to 7 strong spine- 

 lets, hooked obliquely backwards and inwards toward median line. 



Body with the ridges higher, the spines stronger, and the inter- 

 vening faces more deeply concave than in latifrons, the arrangement 

 otherwise similar. Four pairs of strong postanal plates present in 

 the type, and 24 heavy plates on the bieast. The ventral series of 

 plates bear spines posteriorly as far as the front of the anal fin, all 

 other series being strongly spinous throughout. No plates are 

 present on the gular or branchiostegal membranes. 



First dorsal spine inserted on the seventh, the last spine on the 

 thirteenth plate of the dorsal series ; first ray of second dorsal on the 

 seventeenth, the last ray on the twenty-second plate. Anal fin 

 inserted opposite the second dorsal. There are 16 plates (sometimes 

 15) behind the last dorsal ray. Pectoral wider than in related 

 species, with 16 rays, the lower 6 or 7 thickened, with exserted tips. 

 The fin is evenly truncate when spread, the lower rays scarcely pro- 

 truding beyond the general margin of the fin; the membrane not 

 incised between the upper unmodified and the lower thickened rays. 

 Caudal rounded; ventrals reaching slightly more than one third the 

 distance to front of anal fin, the anus immediately behind their base 

 in adults, more posteriorly placed in the young. 



Color olive-brown, darker than in related species, this strongly 

 marked on the under side of the tail, where the dark area extends 

 well forward of the anal fin. Breast, abdomen, and lower side of 

 head white, as is also much of the postaxillary region. About 8 in- 

 distinct narrow dark crossbars on the back, better marked on the 

 spines than on the intervening areas of the plates. A black blotch 

 on the shoulder extending to the upper part of the axil. Pectoral 

 translucent or whitish, a dark blotch occupying the base of the upper 

 rays, and a wide dark bar on the distal half of the fin involving the 

 rays only and not reaching their tips. Spinous dorsal with a broad 

 black bar at base and a black margin, the rest of the fin whitish. Soft 

 dorsal similar, but the basal black bar and the succeeding white bar 

 narrow, the marginal black area involving more than half the fin. 

 Caudal black, with a narrow white edge and an oblique whitish bar 

 near base of upper half of fin. Ventrals and anal white. 



