NO. 2294. FISHES FROM WEST AFRICA— FOWLER. 279 



Mouth wide, would form obtuse angle. Row of minute ciliate teeth 

 in upper jaw. Maxillary exposed, not quite reaching eye. Nostrils 

 close together, front one about midway in snout length. Inter- 

 orbital broadly convex. Preorbital denticulate at end, few largely 

 concealed denticles along lower edge. Rakers about 30+50, finely 

 lanceolate, about two-thirds of filaments. Scales with 8 to 10 basal 

 radii. Cheek with three rows of scales. No axilla*ry pectoral flap. 

 Anal largely scaly over basal portion; soft dorsal naked, and 3 or 4 

 scales behind depressed spinous dorsal tip and soft dorsal origin. 

 Spinous dorsal inserted about midway between center in snout length 

 and caudal base, or nearly midway between front pupil edge and 

 caudal base in smaller example, second or longest spine 2 to 2 J in 

 head. Soft dorsal inserted little nearer spinous dorsal origin than 

 caudal base, first ray If to 2 in head, first anal ray 1§ to 2. Caudal 

 well forked, long as head or half an eye-diam.eter longer, pectoral 

 li to IJ, ventral If to 1§. Color in alcohol pale olive-brown above, 

 sides and below brov/nish with silvery- white tints. Fins pale 

 brown, hind caudal edge little dusky. Iris pale. Four examples, 

 178 to 203 mm., from Loando. 



My only conformable example from Italy, about 205 mm., shows 

 9 scales behind its short depressed spinous dorsal, while in a young 

 Italian example there are 6, though none of the Loando examples have 

 over 5. 



SPHYRAENA SPHYRAENA (Linnaeus). 



Head, 3|; depth, 7f ; D. V-I, i, 8; A. II, i, 8; scales, 144 in lateral fine 

 to caudal base and 7 more on latter; snout 2^ in head from upper jaw 

 tip; eye, 6; maxillary, 2f ; interorbital, 4 J. Muzzle conic; lower jaw 

 projecting beyond upper about half an eye-diameter; mandible, 1| 

 in total head length. Head width, 3f its length. Maxillary reaches 

 nostrils. Scales behind eye to preopercle edge, 17. First dorsal 

 inserted about opposite ventral origin and pectoral three-fourths of 

 space to latter; 3 in head. Least depth of caudal peduncle, 5| in 

 head; lower caudal lobe. If. Length, 407 mm. Loando. 



Compared with three smaller Italian examples the scales of the 

 African example have coarser radiating striae, doubtless due to age. 



HOLOCENTRUS HASTATUS Cuvier. 



Head, 3i to 3|; depth, 3 to 3§; D. XI, 15, rarely 14; A. IV, 10; 

 scales in lateral line 48 to 51 to caudal base and 6 to 8 more on latter; 

 5 scales above lateral line and 8 below; snout, 3| to 4^ in head; 

 eye, 3 to 3^; maxiUary, 2^ to 2^; interorbital, 2f to 3^. 



Body elongately ellipsoid, deepest at depressed pectoral tip. 

 Caudal peduncle compressed; least depth half its length, or 3f to 4 

 in head. Head width about If its length. Snout convex, length 

 about three-fourths to four-fifths its width. Eye advanced, pupil 



