2070 Bnlldhi 47, United States National Musnwi. 



and is compressed; belly somewhat i)rominent, breaking the otherwise 

 straight vertical outline from chiu to caudal fin ; dorsal outline straight 

 from occiput to caudal flu. Head, as viewed from above, almost regularly 

 triangular, the iiromiucnt i)reopercular spines and the snout forming the 

 angles, its dorsal prolile irreguliir, much broken by spines. jNIouth 

 inferior, broadly U-shaped, maxillary reaching just past the vertical from 

 front of orldt ; lips thick, covered with short, fine papilho ; upper jaw pro- 

 tractile; teeth small, in villiform bands on the jaws, vomer, aud palatines; 

 the distance from the anterior edge of premaxillary to cud of the ros- 

 tral spines is less than \ the length of snout; 2 cirri as long as pupil 

 under rostral spines, anterior lower edge of preorbitals with cirri, a 

 group of 3 cirri on end of maxillary, and a group of 4 or 5 on ])ostei-ior end 

 of mandilde, 1 on the middle of each branchiostegal ray, these forming a 

 line from isthmus to opercle, an area on chin from the mouth to the hyal 

 bones that is " woolly " with short cirri; 2 or 3 on lower edge of opercle 

 and interopercle. A pair of parallel rostral spines pointing forward, their 

 tips covered with skin ; Ijehind them is a deep oval pit, on the anterior 

 outer edge of which are a pair of spines that point upward aud outward 

 and are slightly hooked backward ; at the posterior end of the pit are 2 

 spines, smaller than those above and slightly curved Itackward; a group 

 of 4 short spines around anterior edge of eye and 1 large triangxilar spine 

 over posterior edge; the interorbital space is deeply concave, with a low, 

 sharp ridge on each side of the median line; preopercle very rough, with 

 irregular spines and tul)ercle8; middle of suborbital stay with a strong, 

 hooked spine; below the stay, on the naked area, are 2 or 3 plates with 

 spines on their centers; angle of preopercle with a large, sharp spine; 

 along the lower edge of preopercle are 3 or 4 Iduut spines; a ridge of 4 

 spines running back from each eye corresponding with the dorsal keels of 

 body; below this on each side is a ridge, somewhat irregular, but not 

 broken into spines, terminating in a spine that points lietween the dorsal 

 and upper lateral keel of body; a small ridge on upper edge of opercle 

 which does not end in a spine ; a few small spines around posterior edge of 

 opercle; a few minute spines along median line of top of head, the upper 

 part of the eye covered with niiuute jirickles. At the occiput is a deep 

 pit, broader and deeper than long, divided by a low ridge through its 

 middle. Body with 4 ridges on each side formed l)y the body plates, each 

 plate ending in a strong recurved spine, except those of the abdominal 

 ridge, which are smooth ; a row of minute spines along median dorsal line 

 from first dorsal to occiput; small spines following the lateral line; no 

 trace of keels or spines in front of ventrals. The abdominal ridges 

 widest apart on the belly, uniting on tenth plate in front of caudal 

 fin; dorsal ridges uniting on ninth scale in front of caudal fin, 

 but the spines continuing doulde to the tail; a row of sharp, small 

 spines around the base of the pectoral and caudal fins; dorsal spines 

 slender, the fins highest in front, the second spine the longest, its tip 

 reaching to the base of the next to the last spine, where fin is depressed ; 

 last ray adnate by membrane to the back; third dorsal ray the highest, 

 its tip reaching nearly to the last ray, where fin is depressed; the last ray 



