DISCUSSION OF Sl-KCIES AND TllKlK DISTiaiiUTION. 495 



to the piiT^wallownl, tliisciivily issiispciMlcd as ;i laif;(- sa.- Inmi (lie l.nviT i.arl. (.fdie 

 body, aud tluats in tlic water. The upper and lower jaws are armed witl. a series oft.'etli, 

 which are very uneciual in lenjitli, some being very Ion- .•tilers small, all an^ very slender] 

 aud eau be depressed lowaid (he inside, of the nionlh. Tliis peculiarity of (he teeth may 

 be observed in the io/'/""«, in the pikc^, and nnmerons other lapacionslisli with long slench-r 

 tei'th. The vomer is armed with a, transverse series of single (eeth, and extends at-rossthe 

 whole width of the roof of the mouth; tlie imlaiines and pterygoid teeth are situated at 

 some distance behind the vomer, and form two bundles irreguhir in form. The i)haiynx 

 aud .esophagus are, as might be expecte.l, very wide. Th.' .'ye is situated high up on the 

 side of the head; it is very small, covered by, l)ut apptiaring (lir.ingh, tiie siiin. There are 

 no nasal openings. The opennilar pieces are reduce.l (o styliform rudim.Mds; (here are 5 

 branchiostegals. Only the thre.' inner bran.'Iiial arches bear short branchial lamella;, 

 which are disjios.'.l in a (hnible series oti the two middle .)nes, and in a single one on the 

 inuermost arch. The gill opening itself is a slit .)f moderate, width, below and l)ehin.l the 

 pectoral fin. The upper surface of the head is cnu^ave, an. I ia tim middle .if its anterior 

 p.ntion tliere is situated the single filament lo which the anterior dorsal (in is reduced; 

 this tilament is more than half as high as the head, aud dilat.td into a small himella at its 

 extremity. The second dorsal tin occupies the back of the tail, and is c,omp.)sed of 14 

 sim])lerays, none of which are as high as the fm is h)ng. The caudal tin is .pnt.', free fr.)m 

 the dmsal and anal, and com])(ised .)f 8 very soft rays, which are, biOd at the end, and 

 form a couvex posterior margin. Anal tin very short, composed of 4 rays tndy, which are 

 opposed to the ])osterior .lorsal rays. The base of the pect.iral (in is tlesliy and enveloii.'d 

 in skin, as in other ]'c(Jici(h(ti. It is .'ompos.'.l of IS simph; an.l feebl.' I'ays. V^'niral ibis 

 noue. Vent situated imme.liately beliin.l (he ab.lominal sa.\ The whole lish, even the 

 inside .)f the mouth of the abdomiual sai- and .if (he stoma.'h, is of a, uniform l)la.k. 



T.)tal leugth (mouth .closed), .i.S inches; length .if intermaxillary aud of mandible, 1.4 

 inches.' 



LIOCETUS, Gunther. 



iii(«:/«s [siibgf'iius], Gi'NTnici;, <'halli'ii,mT li'.'iiort, xxil, 1SS7, 57. ['l'.V]if, Mehdn/cclns Miintiyi, (iiinlljci-.] 



The sul)genus X/oc'c^^.v of (iiinthei' differs from Mclanocchix .liielly in the absence of 

 vomerine teeth. 



LIOCETUS MU(;1;AYI, c;. nthku. (Fignm 107.) 



MehiiKicclKs hisphiosHi, OiiNinEK., Study of Fi.slies, ISSO, ,173. (Naiim only.) 

 Mdanvcetus {LiocHus) Aimrui/i, Oi'ntmkr Challenger Ifeporr, xxn, tSS7, i)I. xi, fig. a. 



Extremely similar to Mcluiiocrtiia Johnmnii, but, singularly, there is n.) (race of vo- 

 meriue teeth, whilst there is no .listinctiou betwecm the two species as regards the den- 

 titi.)U of the jaws. The iiosterior angle of the man.lible projects m.ire an.l Ibiuis a 

 salient point. The luouth is comparatively less wide, aiul the maxillary considerably shorter, 

 being about tw.)-fiftlis of the total length, without caudal, whilst it is rather more thau one- 

 half iu the Madeiran species. Eye rudimentary. One cephalic spine, whi.h is shorter than 

 the maxillary. The last d.irsal ray is c.mnected i)y a short and delicaie mend)ran(( wi(h 

 the caudal fin; most of the caudal rays arc; bifid, the longest shorter than the maxillary, 

 Tectoral fin as nmch developed as in Mchtnix-ctas .loliiisonii. 



Entirely black. 



T.im■:^. 



Total kugtU ■" 



Louutli of iiiaiidible ^* 



Longtli of maxillary ■'■' 



Leugth of caudal fin l"^ 



Eadial formula: D. 1-13; A. 4; 0. 1); P. U.—Oiinthcr. 



A young specimen, 44 lines iu length, was takeu by 11. M. 8. Chalkm/cr iu the mid- 



' GCntukr, Proc. Zo.il. Soc, 18GL 



