FISHES FROM BERING SEA AND KAMCHATKA. 



55 







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Interorbital space narrow, less than width of pupil, very shallowly concave, \rith an inconspicuous 

 pair of longitudinal ridges. Occiput shallowly concave, with rather coarse ridges radiating from a 

 point behind the orbital tentacle; a few of the ridges may meet mesially, others are directed forward 

 on posterior part of interorbital space. The head undoubtedly becomes much rougher with increasing 

 age, but the roughened area is apparently confined to the occiput and the postocular region above the 

 opercles. 



A pair of broad cutaneous flaps with narrow base and deeply cleft margin on posterior edge of occi- 

 put; a second similar pair on upper posterior rim of orbit, and a third near upper angle of opercle; a 

 slender pair sometimes present near median line between the pair last mentioned; a slender pair on 

 nasal spines twice or thrice cleft nearly to base; a short pair in front of nasal spines immediately 

 behind upper lip; a line of five short tentacles along margin of preorbital and posteriorly on cheek, 

 a sixth broader one in advance 

 of the interspace between second 

 and third preopercular spine; a 

 broad flap near tip of maxillar)-, 

 a minute tubercle above the flap; 

 median pair of mandibular pores 

 with a short tentacle on outer side 

 of each; a minute tentacle near 

 middle of lateral margin of lower 

 lip; a few scattered tentacles 

 along plates of lateral line. Top 

 and sides of head with very nu- 

 merous minute pores, those on 

 suborbital region arranged in three 

 longitudinal series. Posterior nostrils in a very short tube, the anterior tube longer. Preopercular 

 spines shorter Uian in Hemilcpidotus gilberii; two ver>- short, spinous points developed on margin 

 of subopercle. Upper band of plates four rows deep anteriorly diminished to two rows on each side 

 of back of caudal peduncle, the band composed of 68 transverse rows. An accessor)' series of plates 

 above a portion of the lateral line. Lower band of plates anteriorly with six series, posteriorly with 

 two; on caudal peduncle it is separated from plates of lateral line by about half the width of a plate, 

 but this distance increases anteriorly to the width of two plates or more ; in advance of the definite band, 

 which ceases at vertical of vent, the anterior portion of sides below the curve of the lateral line is cov- 

 ered with widely spaced plates more or less definitely arranged in oblique series; behind the upper por- 

 tion of the pectoral a dense axillary patch ; a single series of minute platesabove base of ana! fin, the two 

 series meeting in a patch about the vent and sending a narrow band forward on middle of abdomen. 



Dorsal spines rather low and strong, the vertical fins in general not elevated. The ventral fins in 

 the male extend beyond tips of pectorals, with tips exserted for about one-third their length; on its 

 lower face each ray bears a single dense series of stalked, club-shaped papillae. 



Color in life: Entire dorsal region of head and trunk light reddish or pinkish, crossed by four dark 

 bars, which are usuall)- much narrower tlian the interspaces, and are continued upward on the dorsal, 

 fins, forming a conspicuous black blotch on tlie spinous dorsal; belly and lower side of head immaculate 

 in both sexes; pectorals with indistinctly marked dark bars, one of which is intensified to form a black 

 blotch on upper rays; axil of pectorals in males white, outlined by a curved black bar above and parallel 



/^ m. 



Fir,. loa. — Hemilepidotus zapus, ventral fin. anterior face. 



