Pectorals reaching beyond tips of ventrals, about to vent, their length two-thirds that of the head.

D. XIII, 13; A. III, 6.

Head densely covered with small scales; a series across the cheeks along the upper edge of the suborbital stay usually numbering 30 to 40, the increased number being due to the greater development of the accessory scales.

Color rather light, bright orange-red, the back olive shaded, the belly yellowish. Cheeks with red and yellowish shades. Head and body everywhere closely covered with small roundish pale spots. The spots above are light rose color; below are nearly white and larger. Four or five roundish rose-colored spots on the back, besides some mottlings of a similar shade. The first spot, often obscure, under the fourth dorsal spine; the next near the lateral line under the eighth dorsal spine; the next close to the junction of the two parts of the dorsal; the fourth under the end of the soft dorsal; a fifth sometimes near the base of eighth dorsal spine. Opercular flap with a rosy spot. Fins light reddish, shaded with olive, or nearly uniform. Dorsal speckled at base with light and dark.

This beautiful species was first noticed by us in Santa Barbara Channel, where a single example was obtained. It is abundant in the mar kets of San Francisco, where it has been confounded with rosaceus on account of the similarity of the pink spots. The numerous stellate light spots, however, distinguish it at sight. It is very closely related to rosaceus, however.

The discovery of three species in the waters of California having the light spots supposed to distinguish S. rosaceus, invalidates the identification of that species with the similarly spotted S. oculatus of Chili.

SEBASTICHTHYS RASTRELLIGER sp. nov.

Body rather oblong, deepest at the shoulders, slowly tapering backward to a rather deep caudal peduncle; head short, rather blunt and deep, the upper profile' straight; mouth moderate, little oblique, the maxillary reaching to the posterior margin of the eye, the premaxilliary rather below the level of the eye; jaws equal, the lower convex, not produced at tip, and without symphyseal knob.

Preorbital bone moderate, the width of its neck about two-fifths the diameter of the eye, its free margin sinuate, without spines.

Eye moderate, anterior, its diameter about 4 in head.

Ridges on head strong, but broad and depressed, ending in small spines. The following pairs present: Nasal, preocular, supraocular, tym, panic, and occipital, five in all. The occipital ridges are very long, equaling the diameter of the orbit; preopercular spines short and stout, the two upper subequal; opercular spines usually very broad and flat, their posterior edge sometimes serrated or bifid; suprascapular spines strong; spines on interopercle and subopercle small, sometimes obsolete; inter

orbital space moderate, less than the diameter of the eye, flattish, with two low ridges; spines of head little divergent backwards.

Gill-rakers very short, wide, compressed, the longest as wide as high, the shortest much wider and not free, all strongly toothed on anterior margin and side; the number about only 6 to 9 of them being mov14,

able.

7

Scales on body large, the accessory scales almost wanting; about 45 transverse series, and about 50 in the course of the lateral line.

Dorsal spines low, the fifth highest, about two-fifths the length of the head; the last spines not much shortened; the fin comparatively little emarginate; soft rays considerably higher than the spines. Caudal fin slightly rounded. Anal fin short and high, its spines low, the second as high as the third and much stouter. Pectorals rather short, reaching vent, their base extremely broad, its width greater than the length of the eye and about one-third the length of the head; the lower rays much thickened. Ventrals moderate, not quite reaching the tips of the pectorals.

D. XIII, 13; A. III, 6.

Color blackish green, with paler mottlings, the sides spotted with darker; belly pale greenish, often many scales on the side, each with a darker spot; paired fins dark, often tinged with reddish; other fins chiefly olivaceous, mottled with darker; anal fin often spotted with black. The brightness of the olive and greenish shades is quite variable, but the species is always without bands or distinct markings and without distinct red.

This species is extremely abundant from Point Concepcion to Santa Catalina Island, and large numbers come into the San Francisco market. It may be known at once from all the others by the small gill-rakers ("rastra”) and by the breadth of its pectoral fins. It grows to the length of about 15 inches.

8. rastrelliger is intermediate, in regard to the development of the spines, between the groups termed Sebastomus and Sebastosomus by Professor Gill. Its relations with S. nebulosus are most intimate, and it forms the base of a series ascending in degree of roughness of head, terminating in the extreme of S. nigrocinctus.

SEBASTICHTHYS FASCIOLARIS Lockington, nom. sp. nov.

(Sebastes fasciatus Girard, not of Storer.)

The form described and figured by Girard as Sebastes fasciatus is, in our opinion, specifically distinct from Sebastes nebulosus of Ayres, with which it has usually been identified.

The name fasciatus is preoccupied in this group. We have therefore adopted the above name, proposed by Mr. Lockington in MSS.

Sebastichthys fasciolaris is very closely related to S, nebulosus. It is rather stouter, and the slope of the profile is steeper. The ridges on

the top of the head are much higher and stronger, especially the occipital ridge, which forms a wall-like elevation, much as in S. serriceps. The sides of this ridge are vertical, or even directed upward.

The color of this species is very constant and quite distinct from that of nebulosus. It is nearly black, everywhere speckled with whitish. There are coarse yellowish blotches on the sides of the head and body, and a broad, yellowish, lateral band. This band begins on the membrane of the third and fourth dorsal spines, and extends downward to the lateral line, which it follows to the tail. The edges of this band are very uneven, and it is of varying width, but it is always distinct and continuous. The body is mottled with light and dark, and the fins are all blackish, with pale spots.

In the bluntish spines of the sides of the head, the horizontal mouth, with shortish subequal jaws, the short, thickish gill-rakers, the high dorsal spines, and moderate, subequal anal spines, this species agrees with S. nebulosus. Both species are common in the San Francisco market, in about equal abundance.

NOTE.-The publication of this paper has been accidentally delayed for some time. Meanwhile the writers have discovered a number of. additional species of Sebastichthys descriptions of which precede those of the present species, although of course no allusion is made to them in this earlier paper.

DESCRIPTION

OF A NEW

EMBIOTOCOID (ABEONA AURORA), FROM MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, WITH NOTES ON A RELATED SPECIES.

By DAVID S. JORDAN and CHARLES H. GILBERT.

Body very elongate, with dorsal and ventral outlines evenly curved; caudal peduncle very long, thick at base; snout blunt and rounded, top of head everywhere transversely convex and the occipital region but little depressed.

Mouth small and oblique, the lower jaw somewhat shorter than the upper and included. The maxillary reaches but two-thirds the distance to front of orbit; premaxillaries anteriorly about on a level with lower rim of orbit.

Teeth long and strong, somewhat compressed and incisor-like, arranged in a close series; each tooth with three short-rounded lobes near the end, the middle lobe the longest; their form precisely as in Abeona minima. These incisor teeth are crowded, with the lobes overlapping, and often with one slipped entirely behind the others.

Scales of cheeks in three distinct series below, in one posteriorly. Behind this outer row and well separated from it are, in the upper jaw, from two to several distinct canines, there being usually a pair near the middle of the jaw. Gill-rakers rather feeble, of moderate length. Lower lip thin, with a frenum.

Dorsal fin with the spines from the fifth or sixth to the eleventh, longer than the others, about equal to each other and to the longest soft ray. Pectorals not reaching as far as do the ventrals, which scarcely reach the vent. Caudal forked for nearly half its length. Ventral groove almost obsolete; the distance from ventrals to vent about equals the length of the anal fin.

Lateral line with 40 to 45 scales (4-43-13).

Color bluish black above, becoming lighter on lower half of sides silvery below. Opercles and lower half of sides punctate with black dots and shaded with light orange or rose red, the latter here more intense on the centers of the scales. A broad grayish area extending backward from the axil of the pectorals, without orange tints and darkened by black punctulations on the edges of the scales; this area ends opposite the origin of the anal fin; above it the orange shade forms a rather distinct band from the lips to the base of the caudal. Axil of pectorals black, especially above. Fins plain, speckled with blackish. Anal somewhat yellow.

Fin rays: D. VIII, 17; A. III, 20.

The intestines were filled with a species of Ulva, indicating a vegetable diet.

This species is known to us from fifteen examples taken in the bay of Monterey, and purchased by us in the San Francisco market.

It agrees with Abeona minima in the peculiar dentition characteristic of that genus, as well as in the large scales and shortened fins. Its form is, however, quite different, resembling more the genera Brachyistius and Cymatogaster. It is a considerably larger fish than Abeona minima; its dorsal spines are weaker and the number of fin rays is greater. (D. IX, 14; A. III, 16-in Abcona minima.)

From Cymatogaster aggregatus it is widely separated by the different dentition; with Brachyistius frenatus Gill it has closer affinities, but the two species belong to different genera.

This latter species has been but once observed, and no description has been yet published, merely a brief note enumerating some of its peculiarities. We therefore subjoin a fuller account, drawn from a fine specimen obtained by us at Santa Barbara.

BRACHYISTIUS FRENATUS Gill.*

(Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, 275.)

Body elongate, compressed, the body proper regularly efliptical, with long caudal peduncle. Head long, very slender and pointed, much depressed above the eyes, the snout projecting. Mouth very small, terminal oblique, the small maxillary falling much short of the orbit. Lips rather thin, the lower with a frenum. Teeth long and slender, somewhat lanceolate, few in number, arranged in a single series.

Preorbital broad. Cheeks with about two rows of scales; opercles with three. Eye large, anterior, about 3 in head.

Gill-rakers numerous, long and slender.

Scales large, 42 in the course of the lateral line. Dorsal spines high and rather strong, the first low, the others rapidly increasing to the sixth and seventh, the eighth shorter, the soft rays a little higher than the highest spines.

Caudal peduncle nearly as long as the head, not very slender. Caudal fin rather deeply forked.

Anal spines feeble, the fin elevated in front. Ventrals reaching soft rays of anal. Pectorals reaching first anal spine. Ventral groove very short.

D. VIII, 15; A. III, 22.

Color dark olive-brown above, with lighter stripes along the rows of scales. Below everywhere a brilliant light coppery red; each scale with a light blue spot and dark punctulations. Head colored like the body. Fins all light reddish, plain, the dorsal somewhat dusky. A streak of sky-blue spots below and in front of the eye.

*We have since obtained this species in very great numbers at various places along the coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver's Island. Ditrema brevipinne Günther is undoubtedly the same species.