Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 2317 



tines; a few teeth in front of jaw which bite against the premaxillary 

 teeth; vomer with 1 or 2 irregular rows of large blnnt teeth; head with 

 many fleshy tentacles, 1 over each eye, a row around lower jaw, 1 on end 

 of maxillary, and a row around preopercle ; opercle ending in 2 diverging 

 spines, the lower shorter; suhopercle ending in a spine, its tip equal with 

 the lower opercular spine, these spines not piercing the skin; gill rakers 

 very short, scarcely developed. Body and fins covered with a soft smooth 

 skin, which is exceedingly loose nearly to the ends of fin rays, and entirely 

 covering the dorsal spiiies. Dorsal spines very short but stout ; soft dorsal 

 longer and higher than anal, but in other ways similar, reaching past base 

 of caudal rays; pectoral short, as wide as long, round and fan-shaped 

 behind, reaching to vertical from base of fourth dorsal ray; origin of 

 ventral far in front of pectorals, the fins reaching to the vertical from the 

 posterior edge of spinous dorsal; caudal well rounded, fan-shaped when 

 spread. Color very pale yellowish brown, thickly covered with round 

 spots of dark brown, those on head smaller; belly with numerous spots, 

 the largest as large as eye ; back with many oblong blotches, besides small 

 round spots; fins blotched and banded. Gulf of Mexico, in deep water. 

 This form has a very diflerent coloration from O. /ajtand the texture of its 

 skin and flesh is also less firm, but the technical diff"erences are slight and 

 it is rather a deep-water variety than a species, (pardus, leopard.) 



Batrachus tau pardus, Goode & Bean, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1879, 336, Pensacola Snapper 

 Banks; JoTiDAN & Gu>r.ERT, Synopsis, 751, 1883; Meek & Hall, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila. 1885, 60. 



86o. PORICHTHYS, Oirard. 



(Midshipmen.) 



Porichthys, Gieard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 185i, 141 (nofatus). 



Body rather elongate; head not very broad, depressed, the lower jaw 

 projecting. Dorsal spines 2; pectoral broad, without foramen in axil; 

 opercle very small, its posterior part developed as a strong, single spine; 

 snboperculum feebly developed, narrowed and not ending in a spine; no 

 scales on body ; spines solid, without venom glands; several lateral lines 

 on sides of head and body, comjiosed of pores and shining spots, some of 

 these accompanied by cirri; canine teeth present; vertebne 12-1-31; 

 frontal region depressed, forming a triangular area below level of tem- 

 poral region, its median ridge very low. Branchiostegals 6; interorbital 

 area short, wide, and witli shallow grooves. Air bladder more or less 

 deeply divided into 2 lateral parts. Pyloric appendages none. Species 

 American ; remarkable for the very great development of mucous pores, 

 some of which simulate the photophores of Mi/ctophiim, but ;ire different in 

 origin and not at all luminous, {rcopo^, pore; ix'^i'?, fish; in allusion to 

 the extraordinary development of the mucous system. ) 



Note.— The following acconut of the distribution, structure, and development of the 

 phosphorescent organs of Porichthys is furnished us by Prof. Charles Wilson Greene, who 

 has made a careful study of these organs: 



" Porichthys has numerous lines of conspicuous bright silvei-y spots distributed in rows 

 over the surface of the body. These spots have been called phosphorescent organs, 

 although no such function has j-et been observed, the name arising out of a superficial 



