3. PORICHTHYS. 175 



1. Thalassophryne maculosa. 



D. 2 I 19. A. 18. V. 1/2. 



Brown, marbled with darker ; some, round black spots on the pec- 

 toral and the side of the body. 



a. Puerto Cabello. Pm-chased of Mr. Brandt. 



Descriptioyi of the specimen. — The general habitus is that of a Ba- 

 trachus. The head is somewhat longer than broad, its length being 

 contained three times and one -third in the total ; it is moderately 

 depressed. The snout is short, obtuse, with the cleft of the mouth 

 ascending obliquely upwards, and with the chin prominent. The 

 maxillary extends to the vertical from the posterior margin of the 

 orbit. The teeth are obtusely conical, standing in single series, 

 except anteriorly in the lower jaw, where they form two series, and 

 in the upper, where they are cartliform, in a narrow band. The eyes 

 are directed upwards and very small, their width being one-half of 

 that of the bony bridge between the orbits. Gill-covers with a single 

 spine ; it is long, slender, cylindrical, like one of the dorsal spines, 

 and has the operculum for its base. Gill-opening not very narrow ; 

 it extends from the upper base of the pectoral oblicpiely downwards 

 and forwards to the level of the inferior base of the pectoral. The 

 two dorsal spines are slender, pungent, about one-third of the length 

 of the head. Dorsal and anal tins terminate immediately before the 

 root of the caudal, the length of which is one-seventh of the total. 

 Pectoral obliquely rounded, extending to the origin of the anal ; 

 ventral rather short, not quite one-half the length of the head, ex- 

 tending to the base of the pectoral. Skin perfectly smootli, \nth 

 some very short tentacles on the lower jaw. Two short horizontal 

 rauciferous channels on the cheek and the lateral line are \ery 

 distinct ; they are not, as usually, composed of a series of distant 

 pores, but the pores are confluent, fonning one continuous groove of 

 a white colour. Other muciferous channels, as for instance along 

 the base of the anal, are composed of separate indistinct pores. 



Colour brovm, marbled with darker ; pectoral fins and sides of 

 the body with some round black spots ; chin and ventrals brownish : 

 belly white. 



• lines. 



Total length 54 



Length of the head 10 



Width of the head 14 



Depth of the head 10 



Diameter of the eye 1 



Length of the caudal fin 8 



of the ventral fin 7 



3. PORICHTHYS. 



Batrachus, sp., Ctii: ^ Val. xii. p. 500. 



Porichthys, Girard, Proc. A ad. Nut. Sc. Philad. vii. 1854, p. 141. 



He^d broad, depressed ; body subcylindrical anteriorly and com- 



