NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 505 



Craptalus N'OYJE-zELANDi-a: Giinther. 

 MYXODAGNIN^E Gill. 

 Myxodagninae Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phila. vol. xiii. (1861), p. 263. 



DACTYLAGNUS Gill. 

 Dactylagnus mundus Gill. 



MYXODAGNUS Gill. 

 Myxodagnus Gill, op. cit. and Giinther. 



Myxodagnus operculars Gill. 



DACTYLOSCOPINM Gill. 



Dactyloscopinae Gill, Proc Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. vol. xi. (1859), p. 133 ; 

 vol. xiii. (1861), p. 116. 



DACTYLOSCOPUS Gill. 

 Dactyloscopus Gill. op. cit. 

 The three species of this genus may be distinguished as follows : 



I. Scales of median portion of lateral line 31 32. 



Height scarcely equal to one-seventh of length. Scales 



of dorsal portion of lateral line 11 (12) D. tridigitatus. 



Height nearly equal to a sixth of length. Scales of 



dorsal portion of lateral line 13. (conf. color) D. poeyi. 



II. Scales of median portion of lateral line 24 D. pectoralis. 



Dactyloscopus tridigitatus Gill. 



Dactyloscopus tridigitatus Gill, Giinther. 



D. X-XI.27. A. II. 28-33. C. 13. P. 13. Scales 11 (12) | 4 | 31. Giinther in litt. 



D. XI-XII. 26-28. A. II. 30-32. C. 12. P. 13. Scales 11 | 4 | 30-31. Gill 



Dactyloscopus poeyi Gill. 



D. XI. 31. A. II. 32. C. 12. P. 13. Scales 13 | 4 | 31. 



Dactyloscopus pectoralis Gill. 



D. XII. 22. A. II. 26. C. 12. P. 12. Scales 13 | 3 | 24. 



Genus DACTYLAGNUS Gill. 



Body moderately elongated, its greatest height equalling a sixth or seventh of 

 the length. 



Scales moderately large and uniform. 



Head cuboid, oblong, scarcely convex transversely above. Eyes small, di- 

 rected obliquely upwards, and situated near the snout on the upper surface 

 of the head. Interorbital area moderate and channelled. 



Mouth very oblique or subvertical, the snout truncated in front. Lower 

 jaw transversely convex in front and with no barbel. 



Teeth acute, in a narrow band along each jaw. Palate smooth. 



Dorsal fin perfectly entire, commencing rather farther behind than the anal, 

 and with its anterior portion armed with about ten slender spines. 



Anal fin longer than the dorsal. 



This genus so closely resembles Dactyloscopus externally that I had pro- 

 visionally referred its typical and only species to that group, without a sus-' 

 picion that it might belong to a different one, and it was only after my atten- 

 tion was particularly attracted to it that I ascertained how distinct it really 

 was. It may be briefly described as a Myxodagnine in the mask of a Dacty- 

 loscopus. It differs from the latter genus chiefly in the structure of the dorsal 



1862.] 



