114 'ENDEAVOUR" SCIENTIFIC RESULTS. 



Family PRIACANTHIB^E. 

 Genus PRIACANTHUS, Cuvier. 



PRIACANTHUS VELABUNDUS, sp. nov. 

 (Plate xix.) 



D. x., 12 ; A. iii., 12 ; P. 16-17 ; V. i., 5 ; C. 16. L. lat. 

 54-59+4-6. Head 2-8, height of body at origin of anal 2-1 

 in the length from the snout to the hypural. Snout 1-6, inter- 

 orbital width 1-3 in the eye, which is 2-6 in the head. First 

 dorsal spine 4-2 in the last, which is 1-2 in the head. Second 

 dorsal ray slightly longer, ventral fin 0-6 longer than the head. 

 Third anal spine 1-5, second anal ray 1-1, pectoral 1-6, and 

 depth of caudal peduncle 3-1 in the head. 



Body compressed, elevated, somewhat oblong in shape. 

 The upper profile is straight on the snout, and gilbous above 

 the middle of the eye, whence it rises gradually to about the 

 eighth dorsal spine. Preorbital edge strongly spinate. Pre- 

 operculum denticulated on both margins, the lower teeth 

 being the strongest ; the angle is armed with a strong flat 

 spine which has some smaller ones near its base. Operculum 

 with two bony ridges terminating in very weak flat spines. 

 The hinder edge of the operculum is smooth, but the lower 

 portion of the interoperculum and the suboperculum are 

 finely serrated. Maxillary broadly expanded, truncate pos- 

 teriorly, and reaching to below the end of the first third of the 

 eye. Suprascapula with an elevated ridge, terminating in 

 a strong spine ; its upper edge serrated. Posterior nostril 

 very large, placed directly before the eye. Anterior nostril 

 small, valvular, and opening internally into the posterior one 

 by means of a complex tubular process. Lower jaw longer 

 than the upper one, the chin produced. 



Teeth small, conical, depressible, in three or four rows in 

 each jaw anteriorly, and biserial laterally. Minute teeth are 

 present on the vomer and anterior portion of each palatine ; 

 tongue toothless. 



Entire head and body closely covered with rather small, 

 strongly ctenoid scales, which extend forward to the end of 

 the snout and the chin, where they are coarsely spinate. On 

 the sides of the body they are somewhat trilobed, and larger 

 than elsewhere. Those at the bases of the dorsal and anal 

 fins are much enlarged and torm upstanding plates with 

 extremely spinate edges. There are fifty -four to fifty-nine 

 scales on the lateral line as far as the hypural, and four to six 

 more on the base of the tail ; there are sixty-seven to seventy- 

 six rows of scales along the middle of the body, including six 

 on the base of the tail. 



