560 Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research 



its depth 4.3—7.5 in SL, its greatest thickness about 1.7—2.4 times caudal peduncle depth 

 or 1.4—2.0 times distance from snout to eye. Least depth of Caudal peduncle i.o— 

 1.4 times in snout. Scales everywhere on trunk, extending onto base of caudal but not 

 onto dorsal or anal; 14.5 scales in oblique series from origin of pelvics to midline of 

 back; cycloid, thin, transparent, deciduous, with closely spaced circuli; scales along 

 midsection of sides with vertical axis about 1.5 times the horizontal axis and about equal 

 to diameter of pupil, those toward head and tail somewhat smaller and more roundish; 

 rear margin rounded, most abruptly so at horizontal axis posteriorly; head scaleless. 

 Modified lateral-line scales 14—30 (Table i, p. 557), beginning at upper margin of 

 gill opening and extending rearward in a nearly straight line, ending somewhere be- 

 tween perpendiculars from rear part of pectorals and a little in front of dorsal ; lateral 

 line ending with most posterior modified scale. 



Head 4.1—4.6 in SL, its dorsal profile straight or nearly so. Snout pointed, 3.2— 

 3.8 in head. Lower jaw projecting. Eye 4.3—5.3 in specimens about 150 mm long 

 or larger, its rear margin about halfway between tip of snout and rear margin of opercle. 

 Interorbital space very gently rounded, 3.5—4.3 (2.6 in 97-mm specimen). Post- 

 orbital part of head 1.7—2.0 in head. Nostrils situated in line with tip of snout and 

 upper edge of eye, and the two openings close together, the posterior one the larger, 

 its anterior rim bearing a flap, its distance from eye 8.1— 12.2 in head. Opercle with 

 broadly rounded margin. Margin of Preopercle about halfway between eye and margin 

 of opercle. Branchiostegals 7 or 8. Gill rakers very slender, the longest 1.4— 1.9 

 in eye; 8—1 1 on upper limb of first arch, 17-21 on lower limb, total 25—32. 



Mouth oblique, the gape reaching almost or quite to a perpendicular from anterior 

 edge of eye. Maxillary beginning a little in advance of anterior margin of nostril, 

 widening rearward, its posterior margin broadly rounded and reaching from opposite 

 rear edge of pupil to just beyond eye. Premaxillary extending a little past origin of 

 maxillary. Mandible 1.5-1.7 in head. 



Teeth. Lower jaw with one or two rows of small canines anteriorly, but one row 

 posteriorly where they are largest; maxillaries and premaxillaries with very small teeth, 

 unevenly spaced; vomer with one to two pairs of canines (sometimes 3 or 5 teeth), 

 these being among the largest in the mouth ; palatines and mesopterygoid with a row 

 of low rather blunt teeth; tongue boat-shaped with fleshy lateral margin, with i or 2 

 strong fang-like teeth at the tip, followed by several progressively smaller teeth, and by 

 still smaller teeth behind these. 



Dorsal with outer margin straight or nearly so, its base 1.2— 1.5 times snout, its 

 origin about midway between tip of snout and caudal base, with 10 or 11 rays, the 

 first 2 unbranched, the longest 1.5— 1.8 times length of base. Adipose fin with outer 

 margin rounded, its base 2.2-3.4 times in base of dorsal, its origin over about middle 

 of anal base, it height 1.2—2.0 times in the base. Caudal deeply forked, its tips 

 pointed. Anal with outer margin straight or weakly convex, its base 1.3— 1.6 times 

 dorsal base, its origin about equidistant between origin of pelvics and base of caudal, 

 with 15—17 rays, the first 3 unbranched, the longest 0.6—0.7 ^^ length of base. Pelvics 



