370 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 
Family LVI (c).— XOTACxVXTIIID.E. 
[The Xotacanthid Fishes.) 
Body elongate, somewhat compressed, covered with very small scales ; 
head scaly ; lateral line present. Head short, the snout protrudinj; 
beyond the mouth, which is of moderate size, horizontal ; both jaws with 
a series of slender, close-set teeth. Eye lateral, rather small. Gill- 
openinj^s wide, not restricted above, the inendu’anes not united, free 
from the isthmus. Pseudobranch im none. Gill-rakers long, slender. 
Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth. Dorsal fin short, median, composed of 
a few very short free spines, with sometimes a single soft ray. xVnal 
fin very long, moderately high, beginning near the middle of the body 
and extending along the lower side of the band-like tail, continent with 
the small caudal ; anteriorly with numerous spines. Yentrals abdominal, 
nearly median, of 2-4 inarticulate and about 8 soft rays; the fins very 
close to each other, and often completely united. Pectorals short, placed 
rather high. Genera 2, species about C ; deep water fishes, found in 
most seas. 
{Xotacanthi Gunther, iii, 544.) 
a. Dorsal spiues ()-12 ; snout without proboscis Notacantiius, 180. 
. 180.— NOTACAi^TIIL'S Bloch. 
(Acanthonoius Bloch : Campylodon Fabricius.) 
(Bloch, Abb. (ler Bohm. Gesellsch. 1737: type Xotacanthiis chemnitzi Bloch— Jeantho- 
notiis nasus Bloch, Ausliinclische Fische, xii, 114 : Jide Gill.) 
Snout not produced into a proboscis. Dorsal spines 12-15. Char- 
acters of the genus -otherwise included above, (v^roc, back; a/.a>0a, 
spine.) 
505. A. chomsailzi Bloch. 
Color plain, or with dusky bands on the back. First spine of the dor- 
sal opiiosite the ventral fin ; no soft ray in the axil of the last spine. 
Yentrals close together, and joined by the internal border of their mem- 
branes. Pectorals 13 times in the length of the fish ; ventrals 23 
times in length. Head 8 in length; depth 12. B. 8; D. X; A. XIII, 
110; C. 8.; P. 17; Y. Ill, 8. Lat. 1. 400. [Valenciennes.) Coa.st of 
Greenland. This or some other closely related species has been lately 
taken in dcei» water off the coast of Xew England. 
Xotacanthus chemnitzi Bloch, Abh. dcrBohni. Gesellsch. 1787”: AcanihonotuH nasug 
Bloch, Ausl. 1 ische, xii, 114: Acanthouotue Bloch & Schueidcr, Syst. Ichth. 390: 
Xotacanthus nasus Cuv. A- Val. viii, 4G7 : Xotacanthiis nasus Giiulhcr, iii, 54 : Campylo- 
don fabricii Reiuh. Vidcusk. Selsk. Af handl. 1838, 120. ) 
