G20 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



332. 1COTEIJ Lockington. 

 (Locking-ton, Pror. T. S. Nat. Mus. ii, 63, 1830: type Icosleu-s awly malleus Lockington.) 



Body oblong, much compressed throughout, the head thicker than 

 any part of the body. Dorsal outliiie rising rapidly to the origin of the 

 dorsal flu, thence more 'regularly curved; the region at the base of the 

 dorsal and anal strongly corn pressed; caudal peduncle slender, widened 

 at the base of tlu tin. Mouth large, horizontal ; maxillary narrow, 

 reaching to beyond middle of eye. Teeth in jaws in one row, slender, 

 sharp, closely and regularly set, those in the lower jaw largest; no teeth 

 on voiner, palatines, or pharyngeals. Gill-rakers flexible, few; gill-mem- 

 branes separate, fiee from the isthmus. Brauehiostegals C. Pseudo- 

 brauchire well developed. Lateral line conspicuous, continuous, de- 

 curved, groups of small spines present along its entire length. No 

 scales anywhere on body or fins. Fins rough, with small spiuules; a 

 series along each ray, dividing as the ray branches; dorsal fin com- 

 mencing above the axil of the pectoral, composed of 50-00 rays, which 

 are all soft and flexible, some of the anterior unbranched; the fin low 

 in front, increasing in height behind; none of the rays more than once 

 forked; anal shorter than the dorsal, similar to it, of 35-40 rays; some 

 of the anterior apparently undivided; caudal fin elongate, fan-shaped, 

 the middle rays produced; accessory rays numerous, procurreut; pec- 

 torals with a fleshy base, fan-shaped, the middle rays longest; ventrals 

 thoracic, inserted just behind the pectorals, narrow, consisting of 1 

 short subspinous ray and 4 long soft rays. Air-bladder large. Yer- 

 trbra- numerous, the vertebral column extremely flexible and soft. 

 Cranial banes tolerably firm; bones of the face and opcreles very flex- 

 ible. Deep-sea fishes, from the Pacific. (;i-/.w, to yield, submit; f;-^-^ 

 b:>ne the "entire body being charaeterixed by a want of firmness, as 

 in be doubled up as readily as a piece of soft, thick rag.") 



IVlhi'-id \ell:>\vish or brownish, with purplish spots and blotches of 

 irregular form ; the spots largest above, most numerous along the lat- 

 eral line; lleshy bases of caudal and pectorals spotted; throat and gill- 

 membranes with dark punrt illations; (ins dusky, obscurely blotched. 

 Longest ray of dorsal nearly reaching base of middle caudal rays. Eye 

 (i in head, scarcely half the length of tiie snout or the width of the in- 

 CTOI -bital space; diameter of caudal peduncle about ~t.\ in greatest 

 depth. Head 4; depth 3. D. 5l-55; A. 37-40; V. 1,4; Lat. I. 110-lL'O 



