ART. 19. NEW SPECIES OF FISHES FOWLER AND BEAN. 19 



Body elongately ovoid, deepest at spinous dorsal origin, well com- 

 pressed. Caudal peduncle well compressed, least depth about 1^ its 

 length. 



Head large, well compressed flattened sides very slightly constricted 

 below. Snout convex in profile and over surface, length four-fifths 

 its width. Eye slightly elevated, rounded, hind edge midway in head 

 length. Mouth large, moderately inclined. Lower jaw protrudes, 

 rather shallow. Maxillary reaches opposite hind pupil edge ; expan- 

 sion If in eye. Lips rather thin, narrow. Teeth conic, simple, upper 

 form outer row of moderately large well spaced and somewhat canine- 

 like teeth, especially anteriorly, where several perfected canines; inner 

 upper teeth very small close-set continuous row, close inside outer 

 row; lower teeth imiserial, anteriorly small and close-set, laterally 

 larger and wide-set, like upper outer teeth; no others. Tongue de- 

 pressed, free, rounded in front. Inner buccal membranes moderately 

 broad. Nostrils small, front one about last fourth in snout: hind 

 one nearly twice as large and midway between front one and eye. 

 Interorbital broadly convex, with slight bony superciliary ridge each 

 side. Preorbital width about half of eye. Preorpercle edge mem- 

 braneous, very slightly fringed. Opercle ends in 2 broad spines, lower 

 slightly more posterior. 



Gill-opening forward about opposite front nostril. Gill-rakers 

 5-|-ll, lanceolate, slender, long as filaments, which 1^ in eye. Pseudo- 

 branchiae well developed, but little shorter than gill-filaments. 



Scales rather loose or caducous, in slightly oblique longitudinal 

 rows before anal, or inclination forward; very weakly ctenoid to 

 cycloid; basal radiating striae 11 to 15; apical denticles 10 to 18; 

 circuli very fine; scales mostly smaller along body edges, along 

 dorsal bases and in caudal, dorsal and anal basally; 4 or 5 scales 

 in cheek to preopercle ridge. Lateral line slopes from shoulder till 

 horizontal over front of anal and then on over caudal to its tip; 

 tubes rather large, many closely trifid. Suprascapula scaled, with 

 rather long fringe behind. 



Spinous dorsal inserted midway between snout tip and fifth dorsal 

 ray base, third spine longest and fii-st much shortest, others gradu- 

 ated down. Soft dorsal inserted about midway between front eye 

 edge and caudal base, front rays (damaged) longest, fin graduated 

 down evidently from first rays. Spinous anal inserted at last third 

 in space between hind eye edge and caudal base, first spine ^ of sec- 

 ond, and rays graduated down from fii-st and se<;()nd which are long- 

 est. Caudal elongate (damaged), median rays evidently longest 

 and forming most of the posterior part of fin. Pectoral small, 

 pointed, reaches (damaged) scarcely halfway to anal. Ventral in- 

 serted opposite pectoral origin, ap})are.ntly halfway to anal. Vent 

 half an eye-diameter before anal. 



