NO.130S. IIEMIBRANCIIIATK FISHES— JORDAN AND STARKS. 65 



Scales fine, strongly ctenoid, at nape becominof somewhat embedded. 

 Area in front of pectorals closely scaled. Head naked. 



Pectorals short and broad; their length equals twice the diameter of 

 eye. Ventrals inserted midway' between base of caudal and middle 

 of eye. Dorsal placed directly over anal, which is of equal length. 

 Base of dorsal equal to postorbital part of head and half eye. Length 

 of caudal contained 8| in length of snout. 



Color in alcohol brownish, with 10 or 11 narrow light crossbars, 

 between each of which is a more or less conspicuous broken bar com- 

 posed of diffused spots. Fins yellowish. A black stripe across base 

 of dorsal and anal rays; a round black spot on upper and lower rays 

 of caudal; a black spot on base of ventrals; and one on middle of max- 

 illary. Other specimens very dark, with scarcely anj^ crossbars. 

 Others show conspicuous longitudinal light bars. 



This species, common in the tropical seas from Hawaii to India, is 

 recorded by Schlegel as very rare in Japan. It doubtless belongs to 

 the fauna of the Riukiu Islands. 



(Named for its discoverer, Fr. Valentijn, who wrote in 1725 on the 

 "Oud- en Nieuw-Oost-Indien" and the " Waterdieren van Amboina.") 



Family IV. FISTULARIID.E. 



Body extremely elongate, much depressed, broader than deep. 

 Scaleless, but having bony plates present on various parts of the body, 

 mostly covered by the skin. Head very long, the anterior bones of 

 the skull much produced, forming a long tube, which terminates in 

 the narrow mouth; this tube formed by the sj^mplectic, proethmoid, 

 metapterygoid, mesopterygoid, quadrate, palatines, vomer, and mes- 

 ethmoid. Both jaws, and usually the vomer and palatines also, with 

 minute teeth; membrane uniting the bones of the tubes below, very 

 lax, so that the tube is capable of much dilation. Post-temporal 

 coossified with the cranium. Branchiostegals .5 to 7; gills 4, a slit 

 behind the fourth. Gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus; 

 gill rakers obsolete. Basibranchial elements wanting. Fourth supe- 

 rior pharyngeal missing or anchylosed to third. Pseudobranchisv 

 present. Air bladder 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 fila- 

 ment; pectorals small, with a broad base, preceded by a smooth area; 

 processes from hypocoracaid greatly lengthened; supraclavicles XBvy 

 small; ventral fins very small, wide apart, abdominal, far in advance 

 of the dorsal, composed of 6 soft rays. Pyloric coeca few; intestine 

 short. Vertebra3 very numerous (4+44 to 49+28 to 33); the first four 

 vertebra^ very long. Fishes of the tropical seas, related to the stickle- 

 backs in structure, but with prolonged snout and different ventral 

 fins. A single genus, with a few species. 

 Proc. N. M. vol. xxvi— 02 .5 



