no. 2075. FISHES FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— GILBERT. 375 



lower profile of snout nearly horizontal. Snout short, depressed, its 

 axial length 0.19 length of head, the distance from tip of snout to 

 front of eye 0.23, from tip of snout to front of premaxillaries 0.11. 

 Interorbital space very slightly convex, firm throughout and with- 

 out ridges, a slightly depressed area on front of occiput. Interorbital 

 width, 0.25 length of head; horizontal diameter of the oval eye, 0.21 ; 

 maxillary extending beyond the orbit, 0.39; length of barbel, 0.16. 

 A series of rather small conical teeth in each jaw, a very few similar 

 but smaller teeth forming an inner series in the front of the upper 

 jaw, the mandible with an inner pair at symphysis; teeth in lower 

 jaw somewhat smaller than those above. Anterior nostril a widely 

 opened cup, at the bottom of which the sensory membrane lies 

 exposed. The walls of the posterior nostril are thin and the wide 

 short tube is collapsed. Cheeks and suborbital area nearly vertical, 

 without ridges. Preopercular margin nearly vertical, a little incurved 

 above the angle, which gently protrudes. Branchiostegals, 6. 



Dorsal originating just behind vertical from pectoral axil, the 

 second spine smooth throughout, but with a few soft, not spinous, 

 points on the anterior margin near tip, which are probably retro- 

 graded spinules. The tip of the spine protrudes beyond the rest of 

 the fin as a very short filament, the length of the spine is 0.61 of 

 length of head; base of first dorsal, 0.34; interspace between dorsals, 

 0.66. Length of pectorals, 0.62; outer ventral ray filamentous, its 

 tip scarcely attaining the vent, 0.61. Vent immediately in front of 

 origin of anal. 



Pores of sensory canals large, the lateral line conspicuous, marked 

 by a superficial, more or less interrupted, tube extending over the 

 scales. Underside of snout thickly beset by small tubercles which 

 probably have a sensory function. Similar structures accompany 

 the lateral line, especially in its anterior part, certain of these being 

 arranged in pairs, one immediately above the lateral line, the other 

 vertically below it. 



Scales on head rough, with three to five gently diverging ridges, 

 which bear short spines along their course and do not project beyond 

 the edge of the scale. Scales greatly reduced in size on lower part of 

 cheeks, around the orbits and on snout. Lower side of head, includ- 

 ing inferior surface of snout, the mandibles and the branchiostegal 

 membranes, wholly scaleless. Scales on breast somewhat reduced 

 in size and rough like those on head. Those on remainder of body 

 have the margins entire, the rough area confined to the central por- 

 tion of the scale within the margin, and often reduced to a few 

 spinelets in a single median ridge. 



Color: Head, body, and fins dark brown, blackish on breast and 

 belly, and along edge of gill-membranes. Lining of mouth and gill- 

 cavity and the peritoneum black. 



Only the type known. 



