Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 531 



midlength as at anterior end and only about '/m as great as length of dorsal spine; 

 posterior end gently rounded. No definite interspace between second dorsal and origin 

 of caudal. Height of upper side of caudal above axis about half as great as height of 

 second dorsal, the length of rayed portion of caudal about as great as distance from tip 

 of snout to middle of eye; lower side of caudal below axis about as wide as upper side 

 or a little wider, the rayed portion extending rearward past termination of rayed upper 

 side for a distance a little greater than length of latter, narrowing gradually; lower 

 caudal origin a little anterior to upper origin. Caudal filament, beyond most posterior 

 ray on lower side of caudal fin, nearly as long as distance from snout to origin of pelvic 

 fins on small specimen, perhaps on large as well,^' tapering to a hair-like tip. Anal fin 

 so small that it is likely to be overlooked, sharply marked off from caudal by a narrow 

 notch reaching to ventral line of trunk, of form illustrated in Fig. 118, its posterior 

 margin about ^/j as long as eye, its tip falling a little short of level of upper origin of 

 caudal; apex rounded; rayed portion of base about as long as posterior margin, con- 

 tinuing forward as a low fleshy fold distinguishable a little more than half of the distance 

 toward bases of pelvic fins. Pelvic fins with nearly straight anterior margin, weakly 

 concave distal margin, and moderately convex inner margin; apex abruptly rounded, 

 posterior corner much more broadly so; anterior margin shorter than head to origin 

 of pectoral by a distance about as long as eye; pelvic origins posterior to axils of 

 pectorals by a distance about as great as that from tip of snout to origin of pectorals. 

 Pectoral fins about 1.2— 1.4 times as long as head to pectoral origins, extending a little 

 beyond rear end of bases of pelvic fins when laid back; anterior margin weakly and 

 evenly convex, distal margin weakly concave, inner margin moderately convex with 

 well marked re-entrant notch at axil, of form shown in Fig. 1 1 8 ; tip abruptly rounded, 

 posterior corner much more broadly so; maximum breadth a little more than half 

 (50—56 "/o) as great as length of anterior margin. 



Secondary Sexual Characters. Postanal ventral pad (p. 523) of females about 1.25— 

 1.33 times as long as eye, its origin posterior to base of pelvics by a distance about 1.5 

 times length of eye. 



Frontal tenaculum of males about half as long as eye; dorsal profile curved, cor- 

 responding to profile of head; tip club-shaped, thickly set below with sharp thorns 

 pointing rearward. Prepelvic tenacula paddle-shaped, about ^/g as long as eye when 

 fully exposed; extreme breadth about ^Is—^U ^s great as their length; anterior margin 

 hard, with a single row of about seven sharp curved teeth directed toward base; 

 posterior part soft, the median face with a thin flap of skin folded over toward base. 

 Openings of prepelvic pouches about half as long as eye, at an angle of about 45° with 

 the main axis of the trunk, their inner ends forward. The tenacula, when retracted, are 

 entirely concealed within the pouches, with the lips of the latter then somewhat rolled 

 inward. 



Claspers of largest male seen^* reaching about to tips of pelvic fins when latter 



57. The caudal filament has been damaged on the two larger specimens we have seen. 



58. Perhaps not quite full grown. 



34* 



