270 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
118. Genus EUCINOSTOMUS Baird. Mojarras 
Bod} 7 comparatively elongate; preorbital and preopercle entire; anal spines 2 or 3, the second 
one not greatly enlarged; second interhaemal spine enlarged, forming a hollow cone entered by the 
posterior tip of the air bladder. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES 
a. Body rather slender, depth 2.6 to 3.2 in length; premaxillary groove on median line of snout open 
and linear calif or niensis, p. 270 
aa. Body somewhat deeper, depth 2.2 to 3 in length; premaxillary groove crossed by scales in 
front, leaving a naked pit behind gala, p. 270 
150. Eucinostomus californiensis (Gill). Mojarra. 
Diapterus californiensis Gill, Proc., Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1862, p. 245; Cape San Lucas. 
Eucinostomus pseudogula, Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1368. 
Head, 3 to 3.4; depth, 2.6 to 3.2; D. IX, 10; A. Ill, 7; scales 42 to 47. Body elongate, com- 
pressed; back somewhat elevated; head rather long; snout pointed, 3.05 to 3.8 in head; eye, 2.5 to 
3.3; mouth small, terminal; maxillary reaching anterior margin of eye, 2.8 to 3 in head; premaxil- 
lary groove open and linear (i. e., not closed by scales anteriorly); teeth pointed, forming a band 
on each jaw; gill rakers short, seven on lower limb of first arch; scales moderate, firm, cycloid; 
dorsal fin continuous, the anterior spines somewhat elevated; caudal fin deeply forked; anal fin with 
three spines, the second and third of about equal length, the second somewhat the stronger; ventral 
fins inserted a little behind base of pectorals; pectoral fins rather long, 3.4 to 4.5 in length of body. 
Color silvery, with bluish reflections on back; dorsal fin plain or more or less dusky, the spinous 
part usually with a black margin; other fins mostly translucent. 
Four small specimens, ranging from 20 to 72 millimeters to 2% inches) in length, 
were preserved. These specimens, together with ten others from Beaufort, N. C., ranging in length 
from 30 to 120 millimeters (1}4 to 4% inches), form the basis for the foregoing description. 
Meek and Hildebrand (1923-1927, p. 584) came to the conclusion, after examining many 
specimens from both coasts of Panama and northward, that the representatives from the opposite 
coasts were identical; and as the name californiensis has priority over pseudogula, the first-men- 
tioned name supercedes the last one. 
This fish is rare in Chesapeake Bay, where it appears to occur only as a straggler. The species 
is mainly of southern distribution, being one of the most abundant of fishes on both coasts of Pan- 
ama. It has not been recorded previously north of Beaufort, N. C. It is nowhere of much com- 
mercial importance, as the size attained is small. The maximum recorded length is 8 inches. 
Habitat. — -On both coasts of tropical America, on the Atlantic from Virginia to Brazil. 
Chesapeake localities. — (a) Previous records: None. (6) Specimens in collection: From Lynn- 
haven Roads, Va., September 30, 1921, seined on a sandy beach. 
151. Eucinostomus gula (Cuvier and Valenciennes). Mojarra. 
Qerres gula Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., VI, 1830, p. 464; Martinique. 
Qerres argenteus Bean, 1891, p. 86. 
Eucinostomus gula Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 1370; Evermann and Hildebrand, 1910, p. 161. 
This species was not taken during the present investigation and no specimens are at hand. 
It is reported to differ from E. californiensis in the deeper body, 2.2 to 3 in length, and in having 
the premaxillary groove on median line of snout closed by scales anteriorly, leaving a naked pit 
behind. Relative to the relationship of these two species, Meek and Hildebrand (1923-1927, p. 
583) contribute the following: “ This species, although usually easily separated from E. californiensis 
by the deeper body and premaxillary groove scaling, has representatives that make the separation 
extremely difficult.” It is then pointed out by these authors that in some specimens the pre- 
maxillary groove is only partly closed, and in these specimens the body is no deeper than in others, 
having the groove open and linear, yet just as deep as some specimens having the groove com- 
pletely closed by scales in front. The species, therefore, appear to intergrade. 
