756 



Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



Gill * membranes separate, free from the isthmus ; gill rakers obsolete. 

 Basibrauchial elements wanting. Pseudobrancbije present. Air blad- 

 der large. Spinous dorsal fin entirely absent ; soft dorsal short, posterior, 

 somewhat elevated ; anal fin opposite it and similar; caudal fin forked, 

 the middle rays produced into a long filament ; pectorals small, with a 

 broad base, preceded by a smooth area as in Gasterostrida; ; pectoral 

 ossicles 3 ; interclavicles greatly lengthened ; supraclavicles very small ; 

 ventral fins very small, wide apart, abdominal (through partial atrophy 

 of the girdle, by which they lose connection with the interclavicles), far 

 in advance of the dorsal, composed of 6 soft rays. Pyloric cojca few ; 

 intestine short. VertebriB very numerous (4 + 44 to 49 + 28 to 33) ; the 

 first four vertebne very long. Fishes of the tropical seas, related to the 

 sticklebacks in structure, but with prolonged snout and different ventral 

 fins. A single genus, with 3 species. (Fistulariidw, part, genus FiMularia, 

 Giinther, Cat., iii, 529-535, 1861.) 



342. FISTULARIA, Linnajus. 

 (Trumpet-fishes.) 



Solenoslomus, Klein, Missus iv, 23, 1740, (nonbinomial). 

 Fistularia, LlNNiEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1758, 312, {lahacaria). 



Cannorhynchus, Cantor, Malaj'an Fishes, 211, 1850, {labacaria; Finlnl aria being regarded as pre- 

 occupied by Donati in 17.'J0, for a pre-Linnsean genus of Polyps). 

 Flagellaria, GrONOW, Cat. Fishes, 146, 1854, {fistiilaris = tahacaria). 



Characters of the genus included above. The bony shields, character- 

 istic of this genus, are the following : t 



1. A narrow strip along the median line of the back behind the 

 skull (confluent neural spines). 



2. The pair of broader lateral dorsal shields are peculiar bones, sepa- 

 rated processes of the occipital bone. These shields are the longest, 

 provided anteriorly with a ridge, which is prolonged and extends far back- 

 ward between the muscles of the back. This ridge is flexible, and does 

 not interfere with the lateral movements of the fish; it appears to serve 

 as a base for the attachment of muscular fibers. 



3. The narrow shield on the side is the postclavicle, its posterior jiart 

 being dilated and fixed to the lateral dorsal shields. 



* The gill formula is, according to Mr. Butter : 



t According to Dr. Giinther, the wording somewhat altered by Mr, Cloudsley Rutter, wlio baa 

 made a special study of these fishes. 



