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U. S. P. R, R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
horizontal one, particularly on the flanks. The dorsal groove, as in Embiotoca , extends to the 
anterior articulated ray of the dorsal fin, hut the sheath above it is much smaller, and formed 
hy one single row of rather small scales. There are no scales on the fins. 
DAMALICHTHYS YACCA, Grd. 
Plate XXXIII. 
Spec. Char.— Male provided with a sub-pyriform sac upon the anterior third of anal. Branchiostegals five on either side, 
Ground color greyish olive. Scales with a golden and silvery metallic reflect. Fins unicolor. 
Syn. —Damalichthys vaca, Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. VII, 1855, 321. 
The head constitutes a little more than the fourth of the entire length. The snout is pro¬ 
truding and sub-conical; the upper surface of the head is gently declivous, with a slight depression 
above the orbital region. The eyes are sub-circular in shape, and their horizontal diameter is 
comprised four times and a half in the length of the side of the head. The posterior extremity 
of the maxillary does not reach the vertical of the anterior rim of the orbit. The teeth are 
short and conical on the upper and lower jaw. The opercular apparatus is posteriorly rounded 
and covered with rather large scales, disposed upon six obliquely vertical rows. The scales on 
the sub-opercle are smaller, and disposed upon two longitudinal series. ® There are four sub-con- 
centrical rows of scales upon the cheeks, and somewhat smaller than on the opercle. The 
supratympanic group is composed of about nine scales of the size of those occupying the ventral 
region. The posterior limb of the pre-opercle is conspicuously developed. The branchiostegals 
are five in number on either side. 
The upper outline of the body is gradually arched from the peduncle of the tail to the 
occiput. The lower outline is less regular : from the chin to the origin of the anal the curve 
is considerably depressed, raising rapidly along the base of the same fin. The peduncle of the 
tail is elongated ; its depth equals the two sevenths of the greatest depth of the body, which is 
the third of the total length. 
The origin of the dorsal fin is nearly opposite the anterior extremity of the base of the pec¬ 
torals. It is gradually rising from the first to the last spine above which the anterior articu¬ 
lated ray rises to twice again the height of that spine. The posterior articulated rays are about 
the height of the third and fourth spines, that is, the fourth of the anterior ones. The upper 
margin of that fin forms an open crescent. The rays themselves bifurcate but twice. The caudal 
is deeply forked, and forming more than the sixth of the entire length. Its rays subdivide five 
times. The anal has the same general shape as the soft portion of the dorsal; its external 
margin forming an open crescent, but not so deep anteriorly, for its posterior rays have more 
than the third of the depth of the anterior ones. Three small spines occupy its anterior margin, 
which is situated under a vertical line drawn from the seventh articulated ray of the dorsal. 
Next to the spines we meet with seven undivided rays, followed by twenty-six, which subdivide 
three times. The base of that fin enters about dive times in the whole length, and, though 
shorter than the soft portion of the dorsal, it extends a little more backwards. A pyriform 
membranous sack exists upon the base of the undivided rays of the anal ; it is anteriorly perfo¬ 
rated. The origin of the ventrals corresponds to a vertical line drawn from the fourth dorsal 
spine. Their extremity, when brought backwards, reaches the anterior articulated ray of the 
anal. The rays exhibit traces of a division of the third degree. The pectorals are well devel- 
