SJJ> 
Head slender, eonic. Snout long, depressed. Eye rather 
large. Mouth large, oblique, lower jaw protruding. Maxillary extends to 
eye. Teeth slender, variable, in about 2 series, inner row longer and 
movable. Vomerine teeth similar. Julatines toothless. Preopercle with 
channel behind crest, crossed by short radiating ridges; preopercle 
edge free. Well defined oblong triangular excavation at forehead, 
bounded by ridges on separated frontals converging backward with low 
occipital crest. Gill rakers long. Dorsals well separated, second with 
deep emargination. Anal similar. Ventrals well developed, rays 7. 
Large voracious fishes, with soft flesh, some ranging into deep 
water. 
Merluccius gayi (Guichenot) 
Merlus gayi G UICHENOT, Hist. Nat. Chile, Gay, vol. 2, p. 329, 
pi. 8, fig. 2, 1847 (type locality: Valparaiso). 
Merluccius gayi GUNTHER, Cat. Fishes Brit. Mus., vol. 4, p. 346, 
1862 (compiled). —STEINDACHNER, Zool. Jahrb., Suppl. Band 4, 
p. 325, 1898 (Tumbes; Talcahuano), <—DELFIN, Cat. Pesc. Chile, 
p. 100, 1901 (compiled); Revist. Chile. Hist. Nat., vol. 7, 
nos. 5-6, p. 269, fig. 7, 1903. —WAITE, Rec. Canterbury Mus., 
v v©l» 1, no. 1, p. 18, April 25, 1907 (reference). —EVER MANN 
and RADCLIFFE, Bull. U. S. Nat, Mus., no. 95, p. 156, 1917 
(Callao; Ptita). 
