Jorda^i and Evcrmann.— Fishes of North America. 



2063 



2414. PODOTHECUS YETERNUS,* Jordan & Starks. 

 Head 3| in length; depth 7^. D. IX, 8; A. 8; scales in lateral line 

 38 or 39; pectoral 15; orbit 4i in head; snont 2i; upper rays of pectoral 

 li; highest dorsal spine 2^; highest dorsal ray 2f; highest anal ray 2*; 

 candal 2+. Body elongate, about as wide as deep anteriorly, much wider 

 than deep posteriorly; mouth inferior, the lower jaw shutting far behind 

 the upper; teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines obsolete; a few short bar- 

 bels beneath suout in front of mouth aud at angle of mouth, their length 

 about equal to pupil, h.wer jaw very cavernous. A pair of short, blunt, 

 rostral spines pointing directly forward; at their base and wider apart is 

 a pair of sharp spines curving outward, backward, and upward; at the 

 posterior end of the rather wide rostral groove is a pair of small spines 

 pointing upward and backward; from their base a pair of diverging 

 ridges run through the iiiterorbital to above posterior margin of orbit ; 

 a strong spine over eye, and a longer one at occiput; a low, sharp ridge 

 on side of head, running from ocular spine and ending iu a low spine at 

 upper end of gill opening; a very low ridge on opercle not ending m a 

 spine; preopeicle with a strong spine with a wide keel-like base; a 

 hooked spine below eye on suborbital, from which a ridge runs along 

 lower edge of preorbital to end of snout, b elow posterior end of rostral 



* Allied to Podothecus veternus is a Chinese species : 



PODOTHECUS STURIOIDES (Guichenot). 



■n TX 8 • A 10 • P 15 • V. 1, 2. Depth, at nape, 8 in total length. Body elongate, octag- 

 onal in' front, ranch attenuated, and becoming pentagonal behind; everywhere covered 

 with osseous radially striated, keeled plates which are higher than long; the keels with 

 deiVtic^ate ed<%8 ami terminating iu hackwardly directecfspines, forming 8 longitudinal 

 Ss Ton eacrsfde Breast inlrout of pectorals .and median line of belly armed with 

 tSr poWgonarphites with keels or tubercles, but without hackwardly directed .lunes. 

 Inout conical (not"^ divided at tip), forming a strong .P™}f «*!»", J% *'"?*''* ™^^^^^^^ the 

 somewhat resembling that of the sturgeon, armed at its tip with 2 pans ot spines, tne 

 nnSrdirectol forward (?) and the posterior upward and backward; the bony pieces of 

 wlifcrn is composed^^ edges denticulate, as are the sharp keels of the subor- 



Ss .^strong backwiirdly directed spine (closely approximated nasal spines) on middle 

 of snout. Latlral line marked by an interrupted series of small tubulous and osseous 

 elevations and lies between the 2 adjacent lateral series of plates; commencing at height 

 Soulder^t describes a slightly convex curve and bends a little to run m a straight line 

 to base of can iT Mouth a kittle protractile, with fleshy lips, and situated tar behind tip 

 of snout, cleft as far back as front of eye. Lower .jaw with extremely l^^e^'elvety teeth ; 

 none on upper jaw nor on voraer or palatines. A group of long, iineciual, fle.shy filaments 

 or barbels at each an-le of upper jaw and under tip of snout; under each branch of ower 

 ?Iw 2 others, which are excessively small. Eyes large, oval, on line with profile ;inter- 

 orbital space a little concave, equal to "transverse" (vertical ) diameter of orbit. A 

 pro ectini tubercle or spine oii posterior upper part of orbit, and ^Y^'hl^"" r^TJltill 

 nosterior part of occiput. Dorsals separated by an interval equal *<> e/'' • *f •7,'^^X 

 hmger than posterior- their form elliptical their height nearly equal to that of body; 

 theTr ravs slender, flexible at tips, especially those of posterior t^n. Pectorals large, 

 nearly aflong as head : upper rays a little longer than those next below, decreasing grad- 

 ullly to tenth, whence they increase a little and again decrease by degrees to last ; 5 lower 

 ravs thickest, their tips a little exserted ; rays all simple (not ^ranclied) Anal .omienc^ 

 in- under end of first dorsal, which it equals m length and height Orig m '•' ^J^ais 

 un'der base of pectorals; they are small (tips broken in t^e ainsle indivuha^a) ap^^^^^^^ 

 of 3 rays. Caudal long, its border rounded, about 8 in total length. <-oloi yel'owisu 

 brown paler below, with a very light black punctuation and more ''/• If » »«§ ot 'f same 

 brown spots on head and body; spots smaller on back than ^ se^bero; a spot of same 

 form and color on base of pectorals; pectoral fins unitorm y^^l'o^ •,'5,?'^s«l«,^/*!'. 'i™'«^° 

 upon rays; a dark border on spinous (dorsal); a dark, narrow band rom ant*nor bor- 

 d cr of eve to tip of snout. A single specimen, lOJ inches long. China, ((juiclienot.) 

 Guiciienot's figure gives 1 more ray in 'anterior dorsal than the de.scnption, and gives 

 the caudal fin as strongly concave (sturio, sturgeon ; €i«os, likeness.) 

 Paragomis .iturioides, Guichenot, Nouvdles Archiv.iruseum,202,pl.xn,fig. 3, China. 



