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FISHES OF FAMILY GRAMMICOLEPIDAE — MYERS 151 



The high, acute angle of the lateral line, which is like that of Xenole- 

 pidichfhys in the half -grown, becomes less acute in larger specimens 

 and finally reaches an irregular low curve in the adult. Doubtless 

 this is correlated with the considerable decrease of relative body 

 depth with age. In most fishes the relative positions of the fin bases 

 do not change greatly after the larval stage is passed, and characters 

 relating to these positions are among the best and most stable of the 

 external features used in classification. In Grammicolepis^ however, 

 I have been forced to the conclusion that the end of the dorsal base 

 moves anteriorly with age, concomitant with a general pushing for- 

 ward and downward of the upper part of the general bony framework 

 of the fish. This apparently results in the head of larger specimens 

 appearing as if it had been pushed upward (from the front) upon 

 the axis of the body and gives the adult GrammAcolepis a character- 

 istic physiognomy very different from that of XenolepidicMhys^ in 

 which the head is much less prominent and less elevated in front. 



The observation of these growth changes would not have been pos- 

 sible had I not been able to compare the small specimens in the Bing- 

 ham Oceanographic Collection with the two larger specimens in the 

 National Museum. 



Counts of fin rays^ etc, — These are given in the order in which the 

 specimens are listed above. Dorsal III, III, 35; III, IV, 32; III, 

 III, 29; III, III, 30; III, III, 28. Anal II, 36; II, 34; II, 29; II, 

 28; II, 28. Pectoral 15-15; 16-15; 14-14; 13-14; 1^14. Dorsal 

 bucklers 34; 33; 29; 30; 30. Anal bucklers 35; 34; 27; 27; 27. 



Measurements in millimeters. — These are given in the same order, 

 the figures for the dried type of Vesposus being approximate only. 

 Standard length 230; 182; 82; 85; 73. Depth 135; 115; 60; 65; 58. 

 Head length 67; 49; 28; 29; 24. Bony orbit diameter 27; 23; 12; 14; 

 12. Snout length 21; 13; 8; 8; 7. Snout tip to dorsal origin 93; 

 67; 36; 39; 33. Dorsal base 145; 95; 42; 45; 40. Anal base 140; 

 104; 45; 48; 42. 



Remarks. — Poey described and figured this species from a fresh 

 470 mm specimen, apparently not in very good condition, brought to 

 the Habana market in April 1872. The type was skeletonized by 

 Poey, and the skeleton was sent to Prof. Theodore Gill in Washing- 

 ton for the Smithsonian collection. A few years later Gill turned 

 over the skeleton, which appears to have been incomplete, to Dr. R. W. 

 Shufeldt for osteological study. Shufeldt's paper appeared in 1888, 

 but I can find no trace of the specimen subsequent to that date. It 

 may be that it is still in the private osteological collection of the late 

 Dr. Shufeldt, to which I have not been able to obtain access. 



In his paper on GrammicoUpis., Shufeldt gave a complete trans- 

 lation of the text of Poey's paper, together with a figure of the whole 

 fish. This figure, which was copied by Goode and Bean, was taken 



