1. SOLENOSTOJIA. 151 



dorsal and anal fins on elevated bases ; caudal flu long. Ventral 

 fins inserted opposite to the anterior dorsal, close together, seven - 

 raj'cd ; they are free in the male, but in the female their inner side 

 coalesces with the integuments of the body, a largo pouch for the 

 reception of the eggs being formed thereby. Air-bladder and pseudo- 

 branchia; absent. Branchiostegals four, very thin. Intestinal tract 

 very simple, with a stomachic dilatation, without pyloric appendages. 

 Ova very small. 



Indian Ocean and archipelago. 



The dermal skeleton (in S. cyanopterum) is formed by star-like 

 ossifications, four in each horizontal and vertical series on the side of 

 the fore part of the trunk ; each consists of four or three radiating 

 branches, by Avhich it joins the ueighboui-iug bones ; on the hind 

 part of the trunk and tail the series are diminished to two. The 

 dorsal and abdominal profiles in front of the fins are protected by 

 similar bones. The vertebral column is composed of eighteen abdo- 

 minal and fifteen caudal vertebrse, the vertebraj gradually decreasing 

 in length backwards, so that the shortness of the tail is caused not 

 only by the smaller number of vertebrae, but also by their much lesser 

 length. Neural and haemal spines are developed. The pelvis con- 

 sists of two pairs of cartilaginous lamina?, the convex margin of the 

 anterior fitting into an angle of a dermal bone which separates the 

 pch-is from the well-ossified humeral arch. 



There is a pccnliar provision for the retention of the eggs in the 

 sac, and probably for the attachment of the embryo. The inner walls 

 of the sac are lined with long filaments, arranged in series along the 

 ventral rays, and more numerous and longer at the base of the rays 

 than in the middle of their length, behind which they disappear en- 

 tii'el}'. They are also more developed in examples in which eggs are 

 deposited in the sac than in those which have the sac empty. The 

 filaments most developed have a length of half an inch, and are beset 

 with mamilliform appendages. A slightly undulated canal runs 

 along the interior of the filament. 



1 . Solenostoma cyanopterum. 



Solenostomus paradoxus, liichards. Icfitli. Chin. p. 203; lileek. Nat. 



Ti/(k. Ned. Ind. iii. p. 308 ; Kaup, Lophohr. p. 2. 

 Solenostoma cvanopterum, lileek. I. c. vi. p. 506; Giinth. in Fish. 



Zunz. p. i;57, pi. 20. figs. 2 & 3. 



D. 5/18. A. 16-18. P. 26. V. 7. 



The depth of the snout iu the middle of its length is two-ninths of 

 its length. Caudal peduncle shorter than the base of the dorsal fin. 

 Brown, miiuitely dotted -w ith black and whitisli ; or pink, with 

 ])uri)lisli-brown spots. First dorsal fiu with two large ovate black 

 ocelli between the first three rays. 



From Zanzibar to China. 



(i,h,c-c. Adult females and a male. Zanzibar. Presented bv Lieut. - 

 Col. Plavfair. 



