lO 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 52 



ing to Woodward, the suborbitals lie in contact with the cheek-bone, 

 Avithout separate cheek-plate, such as exists in AspidorhyncJins. In 

 both these genera the vertebrse are double-concave, not concave- 

 convex, as in the true gar-fishes or Lepisosteidse. According to 

 Woodward, the vertebrae in Bdonostounis are "well ossified, smooth 

 and constricted, about as long as deep, and pierced by a small thread 

 of persistent notochord." 



Fig. 3. — B'clonosioiniis coiiiptoni (Agassiz). 

 Barra do Jardim, Brazil. (Restoration.) 



The Brazilian species of BcIoiiosto)inis differs from the type of the 

 genus in the very much greater depth of the scales composing the 

 lateral line. These are anteriorly about five times as deep as long. 

 The jaws are also more robust than in the typical species. 



I. BELONOSTOMUS COMPTONI (Agassiz) 



Aspidorhyncliiis coiiiptoni Agassiz, Edinburgh Pliil. Journal, xxx, p. 83. 

 1841 ; Ceara. 

 Agassiz, Comptes Rendus, xviii, p. 1009, 1844; Ceara. 

 Bclonostomns comptoni Woodward, Proc. Z06I. Soc. London, p. 629, pi. 

 Liv, LV, figs, i-io; Ceara. 



Woodward, Cat. Fossil Fishes, iii, p. 435, 1895 ; Ceara. 



Of this species we have fragments of dififerent sizes from 5 or 6 

 dift'erent fishes (Xos. 6, 7, 10, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, and 31, Rocha Col- 



iiSsyai-aaife£;;;;;-v.j,-^-,v-:Tr-,^.^ 



Fig. 4.—Bclonostoiiiiis coiiiptoni Agassiz. Top of head. 



lection, the largest fish (No. 7) being about 20 inches long if re- 

 stored and nearly 2^^ to 3 inches in depth, the depth about 7 in 

 length. 



Length of head about twice greatest depth, about 4 in length. 

 Jaws apparently equal, both pointed, the tips of both broken 

 in all our specimens. Snout half head, or perhaps less, the tip being 

 lost. Eve about 2 in snout, nearlv ; in head: maxillary broad 



