Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 227 



the midzone. Eye oval, its horizontal diameter about twice its vertical height and nearly as 

 long as distance between nostrils, its midpoint about opposite corner of mouth. Spiracle 

 round, about ^'5 as long as horizontal diameter of eye, situated close behind latter. Gill 

 openings with their anterior margins so deeply concave in outline that the tips of the gill 

 filaments on the ist to 4th arches are exposed, but with the dorsal and ventral ends so close 

 together that the successive margins form an apparent frame around the gill area as a 

 whole; ist to 4th gill openings about as long as horizontal diameter of eye, or about 4 

 times as long as from posterior margin of eye to spiracle, the 5th considerably shortest, and 

 close in front of origin of pectoral. Nostrils moderately oblique and far apart, their inner 

 corners about 3 times as far from tip of snout as from symphysis of upper jaw, their outer 

 corners at outer edge of snout, their anterior margins obtusely triangular in outline, the 

 posterior margin of nostril also expanded, as shown in Fig. 39 C. Mouth obtusely ovate, 

 nearly 3 times as broad as high, occupying only about ^/'o the breadth of head. Labial 

 furrows very prominent, forming approximately a right angle at corner of mouth when 

 latter is closed, the upper extending forward about Vs the distance toward outer end of 

 nostril, the lower (slightly the longer) reaching only a short distance past corner of 

 mouth. 



Teeth, about HeH j uppers with 3 cusps, the median erect and much the longest, 

 except that there are 2 small cusps on one or both sides toward corners of mouth, with 

 the median cusp curved outward; lowers similar to uppers in front of mouth, but usually 

 with 5 cusps along sides of mouth, the median only a little the longest; no tooth at sym- 

 physis of either jaw; a very small tooth next to the symphysis in lower; mostly 3 series 

 functional in upper jaw, but 3 to 4 in lower. 



First dorsal very small, its base a little longer than horizontal diameter of eye, brush- 

 shaped, with convex anterior margin and rounded tip, its origin over rear ends of bases of 

 pelvics. Second dorsal similar to first but nearly i ^o times as long (at base) and i ^2 times 

 as high vertically (correspondingly larger in area), its origin about over midpoint of base of 

 anal. Caudal about Vs of total length, with brush-shaped tip and well marked subterminal 

 notch, its lower anterior corner more obtuse than a right angle, its axis only very slightly 

 raised, if at all. No measurable interspace between caudal and anal. Anal with rounded an- 

 terior corner and angular rear corner, its base slightly more than twice as long as base of 

 2nd dorsal. Pelvics a little less than V2 as long at base as anal, with rounded anterior and 

 angular rear corners, their inner margins very short and entirely separate one from the 

 other behind the cloaca in female. Interspace between pelvics and anal about % as long as 

 base of former. Pectoral a little more than '^/^ as long as head, nearly as broad at base as at 

 tip, with slightly convex outer margin, nearly straight distal and inner margins and 

 rounded corners. 



Color. Uniform chocolate-brown above and below, in alcohol, the tongue and lining 

 of the mouth blackish. 



