Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North Amer'ica. 2179 



furrow, which is convex forward. Interorbital space deeply concave, the 

 supraorbital margins being swollen, its width equaling long diameter of 

 orbit. No protuberance on forehead, which is much depressed, its outline 

 descending abruptly and rapidly in front of eyes; a ridge but no spine 

 beneath eye. Length of snout, including the 2iroorbital extension, more 

 than \ length of head ; preorl)ital extension eciualing i length of snout ; the 

 processes flat, rounded anteriorly, and covered with minute granula- 

 tions; they diverge considerably, the distance of the tips apart being 

 nearly twice that at their bases; a ridge arises at base of preorbital 

 process and extends to angle of preoperculum, and its width at the 

 angle is contained twice in diameter of orbit; a narrow, inconspicuous, 

 and interrupted ridge below ; a ridge on operculum, ending in a sharp 

 spine at the angle, its length equal to diameter of eye. Jaws feeble, tooth- 

 less; lower jaw with 2 long, much fringed barbels and 14 shorter ones; 

 length of the long barbels twice diameter of the eye; maxillary not 

 reaching vertical through anterior margin of eye; diameter of eye 4 

 in length of head without its prolongations; greatest width of head 

 over preopercular ridge, 3 in total length. Dorsal origin directly in a line 

 with upper angle of gill opening; longest spine slightly longer than 

 width of interorbital space; anal origin under that of second dorsal; 

 caudal small, slightly emarginate, length of its middle rays 1^ times diam- 

 eter of eye; ventrals slightly in advance of pectorals, and extending far- 

 ther back, reaching slightly beyond vent and to vertical through seventh 

 row of scales; pectoral short, extending to vertical from fifth scale of the 

 lateral line, the longest detached ray to the sixth ; 29 rows of scales. Color 

 in life bright roseate; a black blotch near tip of pectoral; dorsal with 

 narrow dark margin ; tip of caudal black. The elongation of the preor- 

 bital extension is noticeable in the smallest examples. (Goode & Bean.) 

 West Indies, oft Cuba and Barbados, {longus, long; spaflta, sheath.) 



Peristedium longispatha, Goode & Bean, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., xii, No. 5, 166, 1886, off 

 Santa Cruz, in 314 fathoms (Coll. Blake) ; off Barbados, 2og fathoms (Coll. Blake), 

 and at other stations in the Gulf of Mexico (Coll. Albatross) ; GoODE & Bean, 

 Oceanic Ichthyology, 472, pi. cxiv, fig. 386, 1896. 



• 2.507. PERISTEDION GRACILE, Goode & Bean. 



B. 7 or 8. D. VIII-20; A. 1, 18; P. 11 + 2; V. I, 5. Body very slender, 

 its greatest height nearly ^ of length. Length of head to tip of the pro- 

 longed rostral spine 48 mm. ; without the prolongations its length is 36 

 mm. or twice the greatest height of the body. Interorbital space deejjly 

 concave; interorbital width i length of snout, including rostral spine. 

 Forehead descending gently toward snout, the supraorbital crests very 

 little elevated. The rostral spine on each side continued backward by a 

 slight bony ridge ending in a blunt spine at the angle of preoperculum. 

 Opercular spine small, the length of operculum with the spine being about 

 equal to length of eye. Length of snout with preorbital extension a little 

 less than 4 in body; length of spine alone nearly equal to length of 

 mandible. Jaws feeble and toothless ; length of maxillary i length of 

 head; length of mandible | length of snout with preorbital extension; 



