Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 2083 



duncle depressed, 6-hedral. The tbiu, sharp, curved spines present on 

 all the ridges; on the dorsolateral and superior lateral series, from 

 head to caudal; on the inferior lateral series, from opposite front end 

 of first dorsal to base of caudal; and on ventrolateral series, from base 

 of pectorals to a short distance in front of anal; 2 pairs of plates 

 between hist ray of second dorsal and first median j)late, and 2 pairs 

 between last anal ray and first median plate; aljout 23 oval, striated 

 plates with raised centers on breast; no plates on branchiostegal mem- 

 brane; 2 or 3 anteriorly on under side of mandible; a small plate or 

 none in front of pectorals. Membrane behind vent with 6 to 9 small 

 plates arranged in pairs, none between ventrals and vent. Head de- 

 pressed, its depth \ of width, th(^ latter (across preopercles) 7 in length of 

 body; snout short, blunt. Orbits large, oval, the vertical diameter f 

 of the longitudinal diameter, the latter 2i in head; 3 to 5 small, back- 

 wardly directed spines in a slightly curved line on eyeball just above 

 jjupil. Interorbital space very narrow, 7 in head, deeply concave, with 

 2 minute longitudinal ridges. Supraocular ridges with 1 spine, the 

 poorly developed occipital ridges with 2, of which the anterior is much 

 the smaller; the interrupted suborbital ridge close under orbit, well 

 developed, with 2 spines on suborbital and 1 on preopercle; no plates on 

 lower part of cheek, which enters ventral surface of head ; nasal spines 

 sharp, far apart; median rostral plate small, its lateral expansions em- 

 bedded in the skin, a single, small, median, curved, upright spine. Max- 

 illary reaching slightly beyond front of orbit; lower jaw a very little 

 included; well developed teeth in several rows on jaws, vomer, and 

 palatines. A single long barbel at tip of maxillary ; a small pair at ends 

 of the terminal mucous pore, near the tip of lower jaw, and another just 

 behind this at the edge of the next pore, the foi-mer sometimes, the latter 

 frequently, bifid or a pair on each side. Dorsals fairly separated; second 

 dorsal higher than first; anal beginning about 1 plate in front of second 

 dorsal; pectorals 6^ in length of body, their base nearly 3 in their length, 

 with 14 or 15 rays, the lower exserted, separated by a notch from the 

 upper rays in adult, the 3 or 4 uppermost of these as long as or longer than 

 the longest upper rays; ventrals of female a little less than long diameter 

 of orbit, f as long as thoseof male; caudal broad and short, its width at 

 base a little more than 2 in its length. Lateral line with 39 or 40 pores; 

 the plates small, spineless. Color, dusky olive, light below, the back 

 with 5 or 6 faint darker cross bars; axillary region blackish, soft dorsal 

 and caudal with the rays black; spinous dorsal with a conspicuous jet- 

 black margin; pectorals somewhat dusky above; ventrals pale in both 

 sexes. Total length reaches 7i inches. Deep waters of the North Pacific; 

 coast of Oregon to San Diego and outward; abundant in 50 to 204 

 fathoms. Here described from Dr. Gilbert's types, {lafus, -wide; froiis, 

 forehead. ) 



Xcv.ochirus latifrons, Gn,BERT. I'roc. IT. S. Nat. Mus. 1890, 92. off Coast of Oregon and 

 off San Diego. {CuM. Albatross. ) 



