384 PRISTIPOMATIB^. 



ill colour, our new species has fewer transverse rows of scales and 

 a more elevated body. Its greatest depth is above the base of the 

 ventral fins, where it equals the length of the head, and forms one- 

 fourth of the total ; the height of the body is 3^ in the total length 

 (the caudal excluded). The head is ratlier broad above, the distance 

 between the eyes being more than the width of the orbit, and 

 equal to the length of the snout ; it is scaly to the level of the nos- 

 trils, which, close together, and at some distance from the eye, are 

 situated rather on the upper surface of the head than on its side. 

 The snout is somewhat pointed, with the jaws equal, and with the 

 cleft of the mouth moderate and slightly oblique. The upper maxillary 

 reaches to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. The 

 praeorbital is porous, and has a slight notch to receive the extremity 

 of the maxillary bone ; here it is narrowest, the distance between 

 the angle of the mouth and the eye being only one-half of the 

 diameter of the latter; it is, like the rest of the snout, entii'ely 

 scaleless. The prseoperculum is not denticulated, exhibiting some 

 slight striae at the angle ; the limbs have a nearly vertical direction 

 towards each other, but the angle is rounded ; there is a broad 

 scaleless space above the angle and the lower limb, the remainder of 

 the cheek being covered with seven series of scales of rather small 

 size. The operculum has a semicircular notch behind, but no pro- 

 minent points. The suprascapula can scarcely be distinguished from 

 the surrounding scales. 



The origin of the dorsal fin is above the posterior extremity of the 

 operculum, and its end behind the vertical from the end of tho anal 

 fin. The spines are slender and somewhat flexible : the first is three- 

 fifths of the length of the second ; the second and third are rather 

 shorter tnan the three following, which are the longest, and 2| in the 

 height of the body ; the posterior spine is rather shorter than the rays, 

 which form a slightly convex margin of the fin, and none of which 

 attain the height of the spinous dorsal ; the posterior rays are not 

 elongate. The distance between the dorsal and caudal fins equals 

 the height of the tail below the end of the dorsal. The caudal is 

 forked, and partly covered with series of small scales ; the upper 

 lobe is longest, and produced in some of the specimens into a filament, 

 which is shorter than the fin in two half-grown specimens, but one- 

 third or three-quarters of the total length in adult ones ; a third 

 part of the specimens are destitute of such a filament. I am inclined 

 to beheve that this is a sexual difierence. The distance between 

 the caudal and anal fins is equal to that between the snout and the 

 posterior margin of the eye. The anal spines are veiy feeble ; the 

 first is one-half the length of the second, the second two-thirds of 

 the third ; the third is three-quarters of the first ray. The fin is 

 lower than the soft portion of the dorsal, and has sometimes a 

 rounded margin ; sometimes the last ray is rather elongate. The 

 pectoral is slightly pointed, and its length is 1^ in that of the head. 

 The base of the ventral falls behind that of the pectoral ; its first ray 

 is sometimes produced into a short filament, in other spccinuns not. 



The scales are of moderate size, finely ciliated, much higher than 



