FISHES OF FAMILY MICRODESMIDAE — REID 71 



obliquely doAvnward and forward to below and in front of the lower 

 pectoral ray, the length of the opening about equal to width of the 

 base of the fin. Body and head, except snout and lower jav/, covered 

 with minute nonmibricate scales imbedded in the skin; at the base 

 of the dorsal fin the arrangement of the rows of scales is strongly differ- 

 entiated in that they follow the upper branches of the myomeric 

 impressions. Scales with 37 radiating striae. Myomeres conspicu- 

 ous, 19 to 21 body and 38 to 42 caudal =57 to 63 muscular impressions. 

 Vertebrae, 22 bodj^- and 40 caudal =62. Origin of dorsal opposite tip 

 of appressed pectoral. Dorsal and anal fins long and low, both 

 attached to the caudal at base by membrane, the fins similar, but the 

 anal much shorter. Ventrals small, short, closely approximated, 

 their insertion directly below the pectoral base. Pores of the head 

 small and not of veiy definite arrangement; four rows of pores radiat- 

 ing from the eye across cheek, two rows across interorbital region, and 

 several short lines of pores on temporal region and gill covers. Color 

 brovv^nish, the caudal slightly darker, fins imm.aculate. 



We have 30 specimens of this fish ranging from 77 to 203 mm in 

 standard length, of which the type, U.S.N.M. no. 82682, is 191 mm in 

 standard length. Collected at Chame Point, Panama, by Robert 

 Tweedlie. The paratypes (nos. 82704, 85766) are from the same 

 locality. 



This form is distinguished from all other species of the genus by 

 the greatly increased number of rays in the vertical fins and the fewer 

 abdominal vertebrae. 



MICRODESMUS LONGIPINNIS (Wtymouth) 



Figure 9, g; Figure 12, c; Plate 2, Figure 9 



Leptocerdale longipinnis Weymouth, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 38, pp. 142-144, 

 figs. 1-2, 1910 (Louisiana). 



Body extremely elongate, slender, somewhat compressed and of 

 nearly equal depth throughout. Head moderately long, the lower 

 jaw strongly projecting with a prominent conical fleshy projection at 

 the symphysis. Snout and lower jaw %vith well-defined longitudinal 

 ridges. Lips thin with rather small flanges or folds confined to the 

 side, the free margin of which does not continue around the front of 

 the m.outh. Eye smafl, high, about 2 in interorbital width. Head 

 15.3 to 16.8 in standard length; depth 28.3 to 34.4; predorsal 10.1 

 to 10.4; preanal 2.1; caudal 1.8; preventral 15.5 to 15.9; base of 

 ventrals to vent 2.2 to 2.6 ; snout 6.4 to 8.1 in length of head, measured 

 to upper end of gill opening; interorbital 7.1 to 7.5. Dorsal 66 to 71, 

 anal 41 to 45, pectoral 12, ventral 1-3. Teeth very small, close-set, 

 in two ii-regular series in the jaws; vomer and palatines toothless. 



