370 COXTRTBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



4 



Family LVI (c).— NOTACANTHID^. 



{The Notacanthid Fishes.) 



Body elongate, somewhat compressed, covered with very small scales ; 

 head scaly ; lateral line present. Head short, the snout protruding 

 beyond the mouth, which is of moderate size, horizontal ; both jaws with 

 a series of slender, close-set teeth. Eye lateral, rather small. Gill- ' 

 openings wide, not restricted above, the membranes not united, free 

 from the isthmus. Pseudobranchia? none. Gill-rakers long, slender. 

 Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth. Dorsal fin short, median, composed of 

 a few very short free spines, with sometimes a single soft ray. Anal 

 fin very long, moderately high, beginning near the middle of the body 

 and extending along the lower side of the band-like tail, confluent with 

 the small caudal ; anteriorly with numerou s spines. Ventrals abdominal, 

 nearly median, of 2-4 inarticulate and about 8 soft rays; the fins very 

 close to each other, and often completely united. Pectorals short, placed 

 rather high. Genera 2, si)ecies about C; deep-water fishes, found in 

 most seas. 



(Xotacantlil Glintlier, iii, 544.) 



a. Dorsal spiues 6-12 ; snout without proboscis Notacantiius, 180. 



1§0.— NOTACANTHUS Bloch. 



{Acanthonoius Blocli: CampyJodon Fabricius.) 



(Blocli, Abh. der Bohm. Gesellsch. 1787: type Notacanthus chemnitzi YMoch.=z Acantho- 

 noius nasus Blocb, Ausliindisclie Fische, sii, 114 : fide Gill.) 



Snout not produced into a proboscis. Dorsal spines 12-15. Char- 

 acters of the genus otherwise included above, (^wrocr, back; ay.w^Oa^ 

 spine.) 



59J. IV. cEicitinitzi Bloch. 



Color plain, or with dusky bands on the back. First spine of the dor- 

 sal opposite the ventral fin ; no soft ray in the axil of the last spine. 

 Ventrals close together, and joined by the internal border of their mem- 

 branes. Pectorals 13 times in the length of the fish ; ventrals 22 

 times in length. Head 8 in length; depth 12. B. 8; D. X; A. XIII, 

 IIC; C. 8.; P. 17; V. Ill, 8. Lat. 1. 400. {Valenciennes.) Coast of 

 . Greenland. This or some other closely related species has been lately 

 taken ia deep water off the coast of New England. 



(" A^otocaH//) its c/iemni^ci Blocb, Abb. derBobm. Gesellsch. 1787": AeanfJwnoius nasus 

 Bloch, A.usl. Fische, xii-, 114: Acanilionotus xwsws Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Icbth. 3'JO: 

 Notacauthus nasus Cnv. & Val. viii, 4G7 : Xotacanthus nasns Gilnther, iii, 54: VampylO' 

 don/abricii Beinh. Videusk. Selsk. Af haudl. 1838, 120. ) 



