58 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OF 



related to the type of Semicossyphus, but previously followed him, as he was 

 acquainted with Semicossyphus and Trochocopus through autopsy, while I 

 was not. 



Genus PIMELOMETOPON Gill. 



Synonymy . 

 Labrus sp. Ayres. 

 Semicossyphus sp. Gilnlher, Gill. 



Body oblong, moderately compressed, with the caudal peduncle little 

 oblong and not constricted: anus subcentral. 



Scales generally rather small, in about fifty-five to sixty-five transverse 

 rows; on the breast smallest: each scale is oblong, subangulated behind, 

 little convex or truncated at base, corrugated at the centre, with numerous 

 lines radiating backwards towards the base and sides ; and in front with 

 generally undulated lines parallel with the sides ; exposed surface vertically 

 rhomboid. 



Lateral Hue continuous, simply tubular, parallel with the dorsal outline, 

 little decurved backwards, and not at all deflected. 



Head nearly equally long and high, with the snout elongated and decurved. 

 Eyes submedian between the snout and opercular margin or little anterior, 

 rather small. Cheeks covered with small scales ; larger ones on all the 

 opercular bones, except the preoperculum, whose limbs are naked. Oper- 

 cular bones unarmed ; suboperculum with no membranaceous extension. 

 Nostrils minute, simple, in front of the upper portion of the eye. 



Mouth little protractile, with the cleft oblique. Lips thick and plicated. 



Intermaxillary and supramaxillary bones connected by arthrodial articula- 

 tion ; intermaxillaries with the ascending processes about as long as the 

 horizontal and extending nearly to the eyes, little curved and oblong cunei- 

 form in profile for two-thirds of their length, oblong subtrihedral behind; 

 the horizontal limbs uniformly wide, thick but compressed, and with a pro- 

 minent articulation behind. Supramaxillars divided into two parts ; an 

 anterior laminar behind and within the posterior part, widening towards the 

 front into a somewhat concave or channeled process arthrodially articulated 

 with the outer surface of the intermaxillars, and thence recurrent in a nearly 

 parabolic curve backwards and thence downwards to the front to articulate 

 with the inner surface of the intermaxillars ; the posterior portion of the 

 supramaxillars is flat and expanded backwards towards its iuferior angle, and 

 ceases nearly under the front of the eye. Dentary rapidly increasing in 

 height towards the angle. 



Teeth on the crest of the jaws cylindro-conic and obtuse, completely iso- 

 lated ; four in front of the jaws developed as large curved blunt canines; 

 the hindermost one in jaw above sometimes little larger than the preceding ; 

 in others a true canine :* on the inner surface of the jaws, granular and 

 pluriserial. 



Branchiostegal rays seven (in Pimelomelopon Darivinii fide Val. 



Dorsal fin wih no scales, entire, commencing rather behind the bases of 

 the pectoral fins; typically with twelve spines and ten rays; the spinous 

 portion nearly uniform, rather low, and with each spine enveloped in a mem- 

 branaceous produced sheath ; the soft portion falciform, produced at its 

 anterior portion. 



Anal fin with three graduated spines, and with its soft portion opposite and 

 similar to, that of the dorsal. 



Caudal fin typically lunate and with prolonged pointed lobes. 



Pectoral fins rather narrow, obliquely truncated behind. 



Ventral fins inserted beneath or scarcely behind the pectoral and angulated. 



D. XII. 10. A. III. 12. 



Scales 5862. 



The lower pharyngeal bone is T-shaped, divided into two parts ; the body 



*Is the development of a posterior canine tooth a sexual distinction in this genus? 



[March 



