79 

 Neobythites, Goode & Bean. 



Neobythites, Goode and Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. VIII. 1886, p. 600: Giinther, Challenger Deep Sea Fiehe3 

 p. 100. 



Pycnocraspedum, Alcock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Nov. 1889, p. 386. 



Monomitopus, Alcock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct. 1890, p. 297. 



Neobythites, (p. 325), Dicromita (p. 319), Benthocometes (p. 327), Bassogigas, (p. 328), Goode and Bean, 

 Oceanic Ichthyology : Jordan and Evermann, Pishes of N. America, III. pp. 2512, 2506, 2514, 2515. 



Body elongate, compressed ; head not compressed, its bones firm : both head 

 and body covered with small cycloid scales : tail not filamentous. 



Lateral line never continued to the end of the tail, sometimes very indis- 

 tinct. 



Snout slightly overhanging the lower jaw ; without barbels. Mouth wide. 

 Villiform teeth in bands on the jaws and palatines, and in a A-shaped band or a 

 patch on the vomer. 



Eye of moderate size. 



Gill-openings wide : operculum with a spine, which is usually long sharp 

 and styliform, but may sometimes be weak and flat. Eight branchiostegals. 

 Pseudobranchias rudimentary (usually consisting of 2 or 3 filaments) or absent. 



Dorsal and anal fins more or less confluent with the caudal. Each ventral 

 fin consists of two rays which may either be intimately fused to form a single 

 filament, or (more commouly) be separate in all or part of their extent : the 

 ventral fins are inserted, either close together or some little distance apart, just 

 behind the clavicular symphysis. 



Air-bladder present. Pyloric caeca usually present. 



Another character by which spirit specimens of Neobythites may be recog- 

 nized is that the dorsal profile of the cranium and snout form a single common 

 curve of no great convexity. 



Distribution : Atlantic : Indo-Pacific. At moderate depths usually. 

 Key to the Indian species of the genus Neobythites. 



I. The lateral line runs halfway along the tail, or further : pectoral fins 

 broad and short : pyloric casca present : — 

 1. A strong sharp styliform spine at the upper angle of the opercu- 

 lum : numerous long gill-rakers along the outer side of the 1st 

 branchial arch : each pseudobranch consists of two small fila- 

 ments : pyloric caeca very short : — 



i. Very short pyloric cseca in a ring round the pylorus and in 

 two short rows along the mesenteric attachment of the 

 neighbouring part of the intestine : — 



a. Two spines or spinules at the angle of the preoper- 

 culum: — 



a. Each ventral fin consist of 2 rays coherent 



only in their basal moiety . ... ... N. macrops. 



