NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 225 



Teniosonies Blainville, Journal de Physique, t. lxxxiii. p. 25, 1816. 

 Trichiuridae Giinther, Catalogue of the Acanthopterygian Fishes, &c, vol. ii. 



p. 342. 

 Lepturoidse Gill, Catalogue of the Fishes of the Eastern Coast of North Ame- 

 rica, &c, p. 35. 

 Peropteres pt. Dam. 



Elongated riband-shaped fishes, with the tail very slender, either filiform 

 and Unless, or with a forked caudal ; a naked skin ; rnaxillars not protractile, 

 more or less coalescent and hiding mostly under the suborbital bones, the 

 post-anal region with numerous, almost concealed spines, and the ventral fins 

 obsolete or represented by scale-like spines behind the pectoral region. 



The Lepturinse and Lepidopodinse have the most anterior spines simple, but 

 becoming gradually grooved on their posterior edges, and soon the spines 

 themselves are split to their bases. 



The following genera belong to this family : 



Conspectus 



I. Dorsal fin undivided. 



A. Tail filiform and finless Lepturin.3e. 



a. Lateral line near the abdomen Lepturus. 



P. Lateral line median Eupleurogrammus. 



B. Tail with a normally developed and forked fin Lepidopodin.2E. 



a. Profile rectilinear and forehead depressed Lepidopus. 



p. Profile high, trenchant and boldly declining Evoxymetopon. 



II. Dorsal fin double Aphanopodinje. 



Teeth of the palate wanting Aphanopus. 



Aphanopus Lowe is only known to me through the descriptions of Lowe and 

 Giinther, which leave considerable to be desired. I am, therefore, precluded 

 from giving a detailed diagnosis. It is to be hoped that some of the Madeiran 

 ichthyologists will more fully illustrate that singular type. 



Subfamily LEPTURINSE Gill. 



Synonymy. 



Trichiuria Rufinesque, Analyse de la Nature, &c, 1815. 



Trichiurini Bonaparte, Systema Vertebratorum, 1S31. 



Trichiurinse Scvainson, Natural History of Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles, 

 vol. ii. p. 254, 1839. 



Lepturinse Gill, Catalogue of the Fishes of the Eastern Coast of North Ame- 

 rica, p. 35, 1860. 



Genus LEPTURUS Artedi. 



Synonymy. 

 Lepturus Artedi, Descriptiones Specierum Piscium, p. Ill, 1738. 

 Enchelyopus Klein, Historise Piscium Naturalis promovendse Missus quartus, 



p. 51, 1744. 

 Gymnogaster Gronovius, Museum Ichthyologicum, i. p. 17, 1754. 

 Trichiurus Lituueus, Systema Naturae, ed. 10, vol. i. p. 429. 

 Trichiurus Giinther, Catalogue of the Acanthopterygian Fishes, &c, vol. ii. p. 



346, 1860. 

 Enchelyopus Bleeker. 



Body naked, very long and thin, rather rapidly decreasing in its posterior 

 half and terminating in the slender, compressed, finless caudal filament. 



Lateral line simple, strongly decurved behind the pectoral fin and continued 

 near the line of the abdomen to its extremity. 



Head much compressed, oblong, conic, with the profile straight or incurved 

 and the snout terminating acutely and more or less gibbous near its end. 

 Forehead with an elongated linear depression, bounded on each side by a 



1803.] 



