BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 327 



14. Pimelepterus ocyurus, sp. nov. (29395, 29397, 29725.) 



Body oblong-elliptical, mucli less compressed and elevated than in 

 related species ; both dorsal and ventral outlines regularly and nearly 

 ecpially curved ; frontal region little gibbous, the dei)ression below it 

 littk' marked and the snout scarcely blunt. 



Mouth small, terminal, the lower jaw slightly included; maxillary not 

 reaching front of eye. Incisor teeth very small, about 30 in the upper 

 jaw lanceolate, each with a very small horizontal process, shorter than 

 the tooth. Behind them a band of scarcely evident asperities ; patches of 

 similar asjjerities on vomer and j^alatines. Eye very large, nearly as long 

 as snout, its diameter nearly one-half interorbital width and one-fourth' 

 length of head. Preopercle produced and rounded at angle, its margin 

 weakly serrulate. Gill-membranes united straight across breast, free 

 from the isthmus, their free border under posterior part of eye. Gill- 

 rakers small and short; i)seudobranchi{e present. Head more com- 

 pletely scaled than in P. bosci, the naked areas similar, but more re- 

 stricted. Scales striated and rugose, but scarcely ctenoid; much, 

 smoother than in P. bosci; those on middle of sides largest; those on 

 breast not much reduced in size. Soft dorsal and anal completely cov- 

 ered with scales, the pectorals and caudal nearly so. Dorsal spines low, 

 the longest 3^ in head ; the base of the fin nearly equal to that of the 

 soft dorsal or the anal. Soft dorsal very low, its last rays longest, its 

 middle rays not so long as the eye. Caudal extremely long, deeply 

 forked, the lobes falcate, the upper rays more than four times the 

 length of the middle rays, and equal to the greatest depth of the body. 

 Anal long and low, its base greater than length of head, its last ray 

 longest, its middle rays shorter than eye. Anal spines small, graduated. 

 Ventrals short, well behind pectorals, nearly half length of head, and 

 reaching half way to front of anal. Pectorals short, a little more than 

 half head. 



Head 3f in length; depth 2|. D. XI, 13 ; A. Ill, 14 ; scales 12-78-20 

 (rows). 



Color in life: Back and sides above light olive brown, becoming 

 yellowish olive below; belly and lower part of sides white. Each side 

 of back with a very distinct dark-blue stripe, commencing a little iu 

 front of origin of dorsal and running to upper lobe of caudal fin; it grad- 

 ually increases in width backwards to caudal peduncle, along which it 

 is suddenly narrowed. A small blue spot on median line between the 

 orbits, a broad blue stripe from snout through eye to suprascapula; a sec- 

 ond from snout through lower margin of orbit to opercle, where it is ab- 

 ruptly expanded; lores golden; a broad golden stripe behind angle of 

 mouth, not reaching preopercular margin. A broad dark-blue stripe from 

 above base of pectorals straight to base of median caudal rays. Below 

 this is a narrower golden stripe. Lower part of sides with indistinct 

 longitudinal brownish streaks along the margins of the series of scales. 

 Vertical fins golden yellow, caudal narrowly margined with black. Pec- 



