105. CHIEID^E ZANIOLEPIS. 647 



353. ZANIOLEPIS Girard. 



(Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1857, 202: type Zaniolcpis lalipinnis Grd.) 

 Body elongate, little compressed, tapering from the nape to the long 

 and slender tail. Head short, conical, the profile decurved. Mouth 

 rather small, low, terminal, horizontal; cardiform teeth on the jaws, 

 vomer, and palatines; no supra-orbital cirri; preopercle with spines. 

 Gill- membranes not united, free from the isthmus; gill-rakers tubercle- 

 like. Scales small, imbricated, extremely roughly ctenoid. Lateral line 

 single, continuous. Dorsal fin with about 21 spines; some of the ante- 

 rior spines greatly elevated; a deep notch between the spines and soft 

 rays; anal fin very long, with 3 spines, the second of which is longest; 

 ventrals I, 5, long, inserted a little behind pectorals; pectorals mod- 

 erate. Pyloric creca few (5 or G). ISTorth Pacific, in deep water. (ov<ov, 

 a comb or card; /le-cs, scale; hence more correctly spelled with an initial 

 X.) 



1OO3. Z. latipinnis Grd. 



Olivaceous, the body and upper fins spotted with rusty brown; the 

 vertical fins marked with blackish; a black streak before eye; subor- 

 bital bluish silvery. Body elongate, fusiform, scarcely compressed, the 

 dorsal outline rising rather steeply. Mouth small, horizontal, low, the 

 maxillary reaching nearly to the middle of the eye; the premaxillary 

 entirely below the eye. Eye very large, longer than snout, 3J in head; 

 preorbital wide, partly covering the scaly maxillary; interocular space 

 rather narrow, somewhat concave; nasal spines present; preopercle 

 with 3 sharp spines. Dorsal spines slender, stiff, the first and second 

 longest, usually greatly produced, but stiffish to the tip, scarcely con- 

 nected by membrane, reaching to nearly middle of second dorsal, and 

 more than half the total length of the fish, but often much shorter; a 

 deep notch between spinous and soft parts of dorsal; second dorsal 

 high, its rays gradually shortened; anal long, its spines high; ventrals 

 elongate, wide apart, reaching past front of anal; pectorals short and 

 narrow; caudal short, slightly emargiuate. Head and body every- 

 where covered with minute, imbricated, very rough, shagreen like 

 scales. Head 4; depth 5J. D. XXI-I, 11; A. Ill, 17. L. 12 inches. 

 California, from San Francisco northward, abundant in deep water; a 

 slender fish, of dry, firm substance. 



(Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1857, 202; Girard, U. S. Pac. R. R. Surv. Fish. 

 73; Giinther, ii, 94.) 



