398 ATELEOPODID^. 



distmet, yet exceedingly feeble and very short. The anal fin com- 

 mences immediately behind the vent, below the posterior half of the 

 first dorsal ; its rays are very closely set, and shorter than the dia- 

 meter of the eye. The pectoral is inserted in the upper half of the 

 depth of the body, and its length is nearly two-thirds of that of the 

 head. Ventrals close together, rather short, distinctly jugular. 



Scales very small, rough. 



Brownish : margins of the opercles shining silvery ; axil, ventrals, 

 and the region before them black ; dorsal and pectoral blackish ; anal 

 "with a black edge. Inside of the mouth white, of the gill- cavity 

 black. 



Fam. 6. ATELEOPODID.E. 



Body terminating in a long, compressed, tapering tail, naked. One 

 short anterior dorsal and no other ; anal very long, continuous with 

 the caudal. Ventrals reduced to simple filaments, attached to the 

 humeral arch. 



1. ATELEOPUS. 



Ateleopus, *lv '<leg. Faun, Japan. Paiss. p. 255. 



Head with the - aout much protruding and obtusely rounded, the 

 cleft of the mouth ^^eing at the lower side of the head ; maxiUaries 

 protractile in a downward direction,. Body and tail compressed, 

 elongate, naked. One short dorsal, the rudimentary second dorsal of 

 the Macruridaj having entirely disappeared ; one long anal, continued 

 on to the caudal. Ventral reduced to a filament which is composed 

 internally of two rays, intimately connected by a common membrane ; 

 this fin is inserted at the symphysis of the humeri. Teeth in the 

 jaws viUiform, in bands ; vomer and palatine bones smooth. 



Japan. 



1. Ateleopus japonicus. 



Ateleopus, Schleg. I. c. pi. 112. fig. 1. 



Ateleopus japonicus,^feeA;. Verhand. Batav, Genootsch. xxv. Nalez. Jap. 

 p. 19. 



B. 8. D. 8. A. 108. C. 10. P. 12. V. 1. 



The height of the body is contained nine times in the total length, 

 the length of the head seven times and a third. The length of the 

 snout is contained twice and three-fourths in that of the head ; eye 

 small. The vent is situated at the end of the anterior third of the 

 total length. The dorsal fin commences in the same vertical with 

 the pectoral. Ventrals one-sixth shorter than the head. Brownish. 

 {Schleg.) 



Bay of Oomura. 



