A REVIEW OF THE JAPANESE FISHES OF THE Fi MILY 



OF AGONID.F. 



By David Starr Jordan and Edwin Chapin Starks. 



Of Stanford University. 



In this paper is given a review of the species of fishes belonging to 

 the family of Agonida', known in English as sea poachers or alligator 

 fishes, in Japanese as tokubire or sachi, found in the waters of Japan. 

 The material studied is preserved in the United States National 

 Museum, in the Museum of the Leland Stanford Junior University, 

 and in the Museums of Tokyo and Sapporo, in Japan, Most of the 

 species are fully described in Jordan and Evermann's Fishes of North 

 and Middle America, and only those not represented there are des- 

 cribed in full in this paper. The new plates are by the Japanese 

 artists, Sekko Shimada and Kako Morita. 



Family AGONID.E. 



Body angular, commonly 8-angled, the caudal peduncle 6-angled, 

 covered with 8 to 12 longitudinal rows of imbricated, radiallv sti-iated 

 plates, the anterior edge of each plate overh^ing the posterior edge of 

 the plate next in front of it; plates spinous or not. Teeth small, even, 

 in villiform bands on jaws, and in most species on vomer and palatines, 

 sometimes wholly obsolete; gills 3i, no slit behind the last: pseudo- 

 branchia^ large, extending down the inner side of opercle; gill rakers 

 small; gill membranes united, free, or joined to isthmus; ventral fins 

 thoracic, narrow, their rays 1, 2; vent usually close behind ventrals; 

 spinous dorsal large, small, or absent; anal without spines; caudal 

 rounded, about ?> times as long as wide at base, with 10 to 12 long rays; 

 base of pectorals usually broad, the lower rays sometimes produced; 

 all rays of all fins simple; branchiostegal rays 6; myodonie (tube of 

 recti muscles) with membranaceous roof; basisphenoid a})sent; post- 

 temporal not bifurcate, continuousl\' articulated with epiotic and 

 pterotic; pyloric cpeca few, about -1 to 7; vertebrje numerous, 35 to 50. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXVII— No. 1365. 



575 



Proc. N. M. vol. xxvii-OH 41 



