LEPTOCEPHALlDiE. 151 



Dcscr. Closely resembling lonfjiro.^tris, but essentially separated 

 Irom It by the shortness of the snout ; neither is the body as hiah 

 nor does the back fall down so flatly from the occiput. The small" 

 slender somewhat truncated caudal fin is sustained by visible rays' 

 hayes, like those of lonyirostris, black. 



Total length o i - • 



i-ieugth to anus Q.y, 



Messina (from whence a specimen was sent by Bibron to the 

 I'ans Museum). 



16. Leptocephalus acuticaudatus, Kauj), fig. 16. 



Diaiin. Pointed caudal and pectoral fins. Ring-like dots on the 

 anterior part of the ventral border. 



Pmr. Head moderately blunt; no teeth; eyes gold-coloured. 

 Ihe pigmentary rings on the fore part of the ventral rim pass 

 uito black points, which probably extend to the tip of the tail 

 The dorsal fin, destitute of visible rays, begins near the head 

 Our figure is like those of the other species of the natural size. 



Malabar. (A specimen in the Paris Museum. From Dussumier.) 



17. Leptocephalus Dussumieei, .ffawjy, fig. 17. 



Diaijn. A very small head, no teeth, and a pointed tail destitute 

 of a caudal fin. No dots either on the latera] line or along the 

 edge of the belly. ° 



Descr. Three e.xamples e.xist in the Paris Museum, one of which 

 is dried up to the thinness of paper ; and a small one was sent 

 from Malabar by Dussumier. It is a moderately-elongated species 

 whose transverse muscular furrows are very fine, and not near each 

 other. The pectorals are wanting. In none of the fins could I 

 discover rays. 



18. Leptocephalus dentex, Cantor. 

 Leptocephalus dente.x, Cantor, Mai. Fish. 1315. 



Diar/n. A short, taper-pointed snout. Five teeth in the upper 

 jaw, with five smaller ones interposed. Five mandibular teeth, 

 with three between the front ones. 



Descr. Entire length five inches and a half, in which the length 

 of the head is contained seventeen and a half times. The origin 

 neither of an anal nor dorsal fin could be detected. The specinien 

 was found in the stomach of a Johniiis diacantlms at Penan" and 

 was partially injured by digestion. This species cannot be 'con- 

 founded with the preceding one, being sufliciently distinguished by 

 the presence of teeth. 



19. Leptocephalus taenia, Paris Museum, Kaiq,, fii*. 18. 

 Diann. A round head. Large, projecting, globular eyes. A short 



snout, whose length equals the diameter of the eyes. Seven pointed 



