Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 127 



Head conical but somewhat flattened dorsally. Snout pointed. Eyes round, their 

 diameters about Vs ^s long as snout in front of mouth. Nostrils nearly transverse, about 

 Vs as long as distance between them, their inner margins without definite lobe, the dis- 

 tance from inner corner of nostril to mouth between 33 and 50% as great as to tip of 

 snout. Spiracle a minute pore or slit, about at same level as upper margin of eye, and 

 situated behind the latter by a distance equal to about 3 times the eye's diameter. Gill open- 

 ings noticeably large, the i st to 4th about as long as snout in front of mouth, the 5th slightly 

 longest, the ist nearly straight, but lower outlines of others increasingly flexuous, that of 

 the 5th most strongly so, the 5th close in front of origin of pectoral and extending ven- 

 trally around the latter for a distance about ^o as long as diameter of eye, the distance 

 between 4th and 5th only about Y^, as great as between ist and 2nd. Mouth very broadly 

 rounded in front and notably long, about 1.15 times as broad as long. Upper labial fur- 

 row about 25% as long as distance (around the curve) from corner of mouth to symphy- 

 sis of upper jaw, ending about opposite 7th tooth, the lower furrow slightly more than Y2 

 as long as upper and entirely concealed when mouth is closed, ending opposite 6th tooth. 



Teeth '^ °^ '^ — " ""^ '^ : alike in the 2 iaws; slender, somewhat flexuous in outline, 



12 or 13 — 12 or 13-' J' ' ' 



smooth-edged, without lateral denticles} the ist 2 in each jaw much the largest, the ist 

 2 in each jaw recurved at base, but with curve reversed at tips, their outer faces flat but 

 inner faces rounded} subsequent teeth relatively broader and increasingly blade-like, their 

 outer margins varying from very strongly convex to very slightly concave, their inner 

 margins slightly more concave} 3rd upper tooth much smaller than 2nd or 4th to 7th, but 

 3rd lower tooth about as large as 4th to 6th} 9th to 13th teeth in each jaw successively 

 smaller and with cusps shorter relative to breadth of base, the 2 or 3 outermost minute } 

 I or 2 rows functional along sides, but 2 or 3 in front of jaws. 



Origin of ist dorsal about over inner corner of pectoral when latter is laid back, or 

 perhaps slightly behind it in some specimens (thus relatively farther back than in nasus), 

 the midpoint of its base slightly nearer to anterior margin of eye than to origin of caudal, 

 its length at base about equal to V2 the distance from posterior margin of eye to 5th gill 

 opening or to about V2 the length of pectoral, its anterior margin slightly convex, its apex 

 moderately rounded, its rear margin rather strongly concave, its free rear corner broadly 

 triangular and about V4 as long as base. Origin of 2nd dorsal slightly but unmistakably 

 anterior to origin of anal, the rear end of its base about over midpoint of base of latter, 

 its length at base only about Yj to Vs as great as that of ist dorsal, its apex rounded, its 

 posterior margin deeply concave, its free rear corner about i ^,4 times as long as its base. 

 Lower lobe of caudal slightly more than 75% as long as upper (77 to 80% in 2 specimens 

 studied), each measured from its respective precaudal pit, the upper lobe about as long as 

 from front of mouth to origin of pectoral, or slightly longer than latter, the upper anterior 

 and lower anterior outlines of caudal only slightly convex, the tips subacute, posterior con- 

 tour deeply and nearly evenly concave, with well marked subterminal notch. Anal similar 

 to 2nd dorsal, but with relatively longer free rear corner (about twice as long as base), and 



