Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 115 



Teeth alike in the two jaws, j^2o '" specimens counted; no median tooth in either 

 jaw; all teeth except those next to corners of jaw slender, narrow, straight, sharp-pointed, 

 with a small sharp basal denticle on either side in adults, which, however, may be lacking 

 on some or all of teeth in young specimens, or at least so small that their detection is diffi- 

 cult; 1st and 2nd teeth in each jaw largest, 3rd upper tooth much smaller than 2nd or 

 4th and sometimes lacking, but 3rd lower tooth about equal to 4th ; 4th to 8th or 9th about 

 equal in size in each jaw, but lOth and subsequent teeth progressively smaller; lateral 

 teeth in both jaws, as well as anterior teeth in lower jaw, erect, but ist, 2nd and sometimes 

 3rd upper teeth directed sharply inward; i, or rarely 2, rows functional along sides of 

 mouth, but 2, or rarely 3, rows near the center. 



Origin of ist dorsal over or very slightly posterior to axil of pectoral (thus relatively 

 much farther forward than in oxyrinchus) , its anterior margin slightly convex, its apex 

 broadly rounded, its rear margin straight toward apex but moderately concave toward base, 

 its free rear corner about Vs ^s long as its base, its vertical height nearly equal to distance 

 from eye to ist gill or about 60% as great as length of pectoral. Second dorsal about V4 as 

 high as 1st, its origin over origin of anal, its apex broadly rounded, rear margin deeply 

 concave, its free rear corner about i V2 times as long as base, but only moderately slender. 

 Lower lobe of caudal about 64 to 75% as long as upper, relatively shorter in young than 

 in older specimens (about 68% in Fig. 15), each measured from the respective precaudal 

 pit (thus somewhat shorter, relatively, than in oxyrinchus), the subterminal notch strongly 

 marked, the posterior outline subangular, with rounded corner. Anal slightly larger than 

 2nd dorsal, similar in shape. Pelvics with rounded corners and moderately concave outer 

 margins, their origins posterior to rear tip of ist dorsal by a distance about % to % as long 

 as from tip of snout to mouth. Pectoral nearly or quite as long as from posterior margin of 

 eye to 5 th gill opening, about Y2 as broad as long, the anterior margin moderately convex, 

 the tip and inner corner rounded, the distal margin only moderately concave (less so than 

 in oxyrinchus). 



Color. Dark bluish-gray above, changing abruptly on the lower sides to the white 

 of the lower surface; pectorals dusky on outer half or third, the anal white or slightly 

 dusky. 



Size. While nasus has repeatedly been reported to reach a length of 12 feet, a lO-foot 

 female from Monhegan, Maine," is the largest of which we find a definite record. How- 

 ever, at least one other of eight feet has been positively reported from the Gulf of Maine, 

 and a number from seven to nine feet (up to 2,800 mm.) at different times from northern 

 European waters. Very few, however, of those caught in the western side of the Atlantic 

 are more than six feet long, with four to five feet perhaps the commonest size. For exam- 

 ple, none of those that we have hooked has been longer than five feet, apart from one of 

 perhaps eight feet hooked and lost over Cashe's Ledge on September 30, 1927. At the 

 other extreme the smallest on record is 29 inches. Information as to the relationship be- 



9. Hubbs, Copeia, 123, 1923: loi. 



