Jordan and Evertnann. — Fishes of North America. 961 



and anal fins somewhat elongate, the former deeply notched, with 11 

 slender spines, the latter with 2 spines; caudal lunate, with short and 

 slender peduncle ; ventrals I, 5, inserted before pectorals, not depressible 

 in a groove, each with 1 spine and 5 rays. Vent well behind ventrals. 

 A single species known, from the (iulf of Mexico. Its skeleton has not 

 been examined. It is therefore not known how close its relations to 

 Brama may be, but it cannot be removed far from that group. Its 

 divided dorsal suggests relations with Nomeus, but the scales are more 

 like those of Brama. (Named for Leonhard Stejneger, curator of rep- 

 tiles in the United States National Museum, one of the ablest systematic 

 zoologists of our time.) 



i;{60. STEINEGERIA RUBESCENS, Jordan & Everniann. 



Head 2| ; depth 2; snout short, 5 in head. D. XI-I, 18; A. II, 20; V. 

 I, 5; scales 50-26. Body ovate, considerably compressed, the greatest 

 thickness a little less than half length of head. Anterior profile from 

 tip of snout to base of dorsal nearly straight; outline of belly prominent, 

 the axis of body being rather nearer dorsal than ventral outline ; breast 

 and belly not carinate. Head but little longer than deep, its upper sur- 

 face flattish, the bones not very firm ; interorbital space nearly flat, with 

 2 ridges about as broad as eye, which is 3i in head; preorbital very nar- 

 row, somewhat cavernous, its edge sharply dentate ; mouth very oblique, 

 the lower jaw strongly projecting, the broad maxillary reaching to below 

 middle of eye, its length I that of the head. Each jaw with a band 

 of small cardiform teeth, those in front largest, especially in the lower 

 jaw, but all of them small; a band of villiform teeth on each palatine 

 bone, but none on the vomer; premaxillaries protractile. Lower jaw 

 with conspicuous pores ; preopercle forming a nearly even curve, without 

 distinct angle ; ascending limb of preopercle very finely serrulate, with 

 some 4 or 5 coarser teeth about the angle; other opercular bones very 

 thin, with entire edges. Cheeks, opercles, maxillary, and top of head 

 closely covered with scales similar to those on rest of body, but a little 

 smaller. Gill rakers rather short and wide apart, 8 or 9 developed on the 

 lower i)art of the arch, the longest about i length of eye. Body closely 

 covered with membranous scales, which are closely imbricated, deeper 

 than long, each with a distinct median keel, besides which are some 

 smaller radiating ridges, especially on the scales of the sides of the bodj'. 

 These ridges on the scales form continuous ridges, which give the body a 

 rough appearance, although they are not spinigerous ; scales largest on 

 middle of sides, becoming smaller on back and on belly ; no distinct 

 lateral line; fins with few scales or none. Dorsal spines very slender 

 and flexible, some of them ending in filaments (all more or less mutilated 

 in typical example) ; soft rays separated from spines by a deep notch 

 extending nearly to base of fin; soft dorsal elevated, the longest rays 

 about \k in head; caudal lunate, its peduncle very short and slender; 

 anal fin high, its spines short and slender, the longest ray 1^ in head ; no 

 free anal spines ; ventrals inserted before pectorals, their length 1^ in 

 P. N. A. 62 



