NO. 1358. 



JAPANESE ISC ULPINS— JORDAN AND STARK'S. 



247 



each in a strong spine projecting baclvwurd in line with tiie series^ of 

 dorsal prickles; preopercular spines similar to those of Ivdnx hlcornlH, 

 the up[)einiost, as in tlie latter, oeeasionally simple instead of bifurcate; 

 the second spine usually directed straight backward, and the 2 follow- 

 ing downward and forward; gill membranes l)roadly luiited, free from 

 the isthnms, and neither pore nor slit heiiind the imiermost gill; 

 ])ranchiostegals 6; eye large, longer than snout; a slender tentacle 

 present over the posterior part of each orbit; a series of plates from 

 nape along each side of dorsals to back of caudal peduncle, and a 

 second series along lateral line; the dorsal series with 28 to 35 plates, 

 each of which beai's at its center a single strong spine directed out- 

 ward and backward. In TceJns hlcornl-s each plate is tra\'ersed b}' an 

 o]>li(iue ridge, the margin of which is denticulated, the central tooth 

 being the strongest and corresponding to the single spine present in 

 Ict'lxs .y>hii(/<r. The latter agrees with ledun ('(indJ/cnlatiix in having 

 an inner scries of dorsal plates alternating with the principal series, 



Fig. 6.— ICELi's spiniger. 



each of the smaller plates bearing a minute prickle, discernible w'ith 

 ditHculty; the plates along the lateral line, 41 to 44 in num))er, sim- 

 ilar to those in Icelu.s bicornis^ having their upper and posterior free 

 margins serrulate. A few scattered spinous plates present in axillary 

 region, ^)or^al tins not connected, the spines wQvy slender and rather 

 high; p(>ctorals long, reaching front of anal; ventrals not reaching 

 vent. Color light olivaceous above, white below; upper pai'ts mottled 

 with dark brown; l)ack with 4 faint black crossbars, the tii'st under 

 spinous dorsal, the second and third under soft dorsal, the fourth at 

 base of caudal; a brown blotch on cheek, 1 on base of pectoral, and 

 an irregular series along full length of body just under the lateral line; 

 2 pi-ominent black blotch(\s on tirst dorsal; the second dorsal, caudal, 

 and pectoral l^arred; other tins unmarked; mouth and gill cavity white. 

 Coast of Alaska; numerous specimens from the l\ S. Fish Conuuis- 

 sion steamer Alhifrom stations off Bristol Bay and Unalaska. 

 Recorded by Schmidt from near Vladivostok. 

 [ftpiniger, bearing spines.) 



