908 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



7. LEIOCASSIS LONGIROSTRIS (Gunther). 



Liocasm longirostris Gunther, Cat. Fish, V, 18G4, p. 87; Japan. 

 Leiocassis longirostris Jordan and Snvder, Annot. Zool. Japan, III, Ajiril 3, 

 1901, p. 44; Japan. 



Head 3f in length; depth 5; D. I, 7; A. 17; P. I, It; V, (>; B. 8; 

 intororl)itiil space 2 in snout; more than 3 in head, least depth of tail 

 a little more than i. 



Trunk slightl}^ compressed, the tail elongate, tapering. Head as 

 high as broad, with the crown compressed, the sides obliquely sloping 

 outward; snout much produced and conical, so that the mouth is 

 about midway between the eye and end of the snout; eyes very small, 

 without free ciix-ular eyelid, and much nearer the extremity of the 

 snout than the end of the operculum; cleft of the mouth transverse, 

 entirel}' at the lower side of the snout; teeth villiform, in broad 

 bands, the intermaxillary l)and 4 times as broad as long, and the 

 vomerine band, which is immediately behind, nearly as broad and 

 long as the former; the posterior nostril nearer to the eye than to the 

 extremity of the snout, and its barbel is slender, not much longer 

 than the eye; the anterior nostril is in the upper lip in front of the 

 maxillary barbel; maxillary and mandibular barbels small; upper side 

 of the head only slightly granulated, the median fonticulus does not 

 extend to the base of the occipital process, the latter tinelj^ granu- 

 lated, arrow-shaped, twice as long as broad, and below the skin it 

 extends on to the basal bone of the dorsal spine, which is elongate, 

 triangular, and finely granulated; a skinny space between the basal 

 bone and the granulated part of the occipital process; opercles cov- 

 ered with skin. The gill-membranes are separate nearly to the front 

 of the isthnuis. 



Dorsal spine strong, not much shorter than the head; its serrature 

 behind does not point either downward or upward, but is vertical to 

 the spine, and as long as and terminates in the same vertical with the 

 adipose fin; caudal deeply forked; pectoral spine somewhat stronger 

 and shorter than that of the dorsal fin; the ventrals extend somewhat 

 be3^ond the origin of the anal. The free portion of the tail between 

 adipose and caudal fin equals the base of the adipose fin, and is a little 

 less than I the total (without caudal). Humeral process of moderate 

 size, pointed behind; mucous cavity in the axil with 2 foramina. 

 Length 23 inches. 



Japan; collection of Mr. Jamrach. (Gunther.) 



This species was not seen by us, and may possibly not be really 

 Japanese. 



{longus, long; rostrum, snout). 



