DISCUSSIOH OP SPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 483 



Order HEMIBRANCHII. 



Bemibranchii, Cope, Proo. Imer. Assoc. Adv. Science, sex, 1872, 338.— Gill, \h. Fam. Pish., 872, \\\i\; 

 Proc. Acad. Nat. s,i., Phila., 1884, L54. 



Physoclystous, teleocephalous fishes, havingthe pharyngeal bones and branchial arches 



in some respects reduced or deficient, and only one b connecting tlio shoulder girdle 



with tlie skull. 



Family MACRORHAMPHOSIDiE. 



/ Cenlrischini, Rafikesque, [ndice d' Ittiologia Siciliana, 1810,33-34. 



Centriscoidei, Bleeker, Enum. S[p. Pisciam, Archipel. fndico, 1859, \\m. 



Centr'ucidas, Swainson, Nat. Hist. Fish, etc., 1839, n, 31. — GOnther, Cat. Fish Brit. Mas., in, 1861,518.— 



Gil i , Air. Fam. Fishes, 1872, 25. — Jordan and Gilbert, Bull. \vi, U. s. Nat. Mus., 1882, 387. 

 Afacrorhamphosidas, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1884, 163; Century Dictionary, 3565. 



Eemibranchiates with compressed body, armed with bony plates on belly and anterior 

 parts of body. Snout, long, fcubiform. Ventrals abdominal, with one spine and seven 

 rays. Dorsal spinous, distinct, median or post median. The tour anterior vertebra' much 

 lengthened. The branchihyals and pharyngeals mostly present, the fourth superior 

 branchihyal and the first and fourth superior pharyngeal wanting. 



MACRORHAMPHOSUS, Lacepede. 



Macrorhampho8us, Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 136. 



Centriscus, Cuvier, Regne Animal, ed. i, 1817, n, 350. — Gunther, Cat. Fish Brit. .Mus., in, 518. — Jordan 



and Gilbert, Proc. U. s. Nat. Mus., v, 18*:;, 575. 

 Orthickthys, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1862, 234. 



Oeutriscids, having the body oblong, slowly merging into a caudal peduncle. Back 

 straight; dorsal spines about 7. Three longitudinal rows of plates on the breast. 



MACRORHAMPHOSUS SCOLOPAX, t.l.ixx BUS). (Figure 396). 



Centrisau icolopax, laxx i i -. Syst. Nat., ed. \n. 1766, i, 415. — Gi'NTHER, loc. cit.— Vaiulant, Exp. Sci. 

 Travailleur et Talisman, 338, pi. xxvn, Fig. 3. 



A MacrorhamphostiSj with very strong second dorsal spine, which is seriated posteriorly, 

 whose length is three tilths to three-eighths of the distance from the opercle to the caudal; 

 the height of its body is four sevenths to three fifths of the distance from the operculum to 

 the base of the caudal. Lateral line 57; transverse line .17. 



Radial formula: D. V+12; A. 20. 



Color, rose or reddish olive on the back, silvery on tin' sides and on the belly. 



This species is not unusual in the Mediterranean, has been found on the south coastof 

 England, and in Massachusetts Bay. As many as 10 individuals were caught by the 

 French exploring vessels at considerable depths: — off the coast of Morocco, station XXIII, 

 at 120 meters; off that of Soudan, station LXvn, at 130 meters; and on the Banc d'Arguin, 

 stations sc, SCI, and xcn, at 1 Itl to 235 meters. 



Family AULOSTOMID^E. 



Lei AulostomideB (part) Latreille, Fam. Nat. Regne Animal, 1825, 19. 



Aulostomatida (part) Cantor, Cat. Malayan Fislics, 1850, 211. 



Auloatomaloidei, Bleeker, Enum. Sp. Pise. Arch. Iml.. 1859, \xm. 



dulostomidai, Gill, Ait. Fam. Fish., 1872, 11; Proc. \..ni. Nat. Sci... Phila., 1884, 160. 



Eemibranchiate fishes, with compressed, elongate body, small ctenoid scales, and 

 continuous lateral line. Head Long; mouth small; with snout elongate, compressed, tubi- 

 forin; lower jaw prominent, wit h barbel at symphysis. Premaxillary not protractile; max- 

 illary broad, triangular, with a supplemental bone. Teeth minute in bands on lower jaw 

 and vomer. Spinous dorsal present, of 8 to L2 feeble, isolated spines. Soft, dorsal and 



