LUMPENUS. 



229 



jaws is set with a c;ird of fine, pointed teeth, which 

 is eontinued in the upper jaw by a tew rows in the 

 margin, the outermost ot" whieh is the most distinct, 

 and contnins the largest teeth, hut in the lower jaw 

 by Old)' one row. Similar teeth occur on the head of 

 the vomer ami in a row on each of the |)alatine bones; 

 the tongue, on the other iiand, is smooth witli tlie thin 

 and rounded tip free. In the front part of the palate 

 we find a distinct, transverse, Tnerabranous, palatal fold 

 (velum), deeply incised at the middle. 



The gill-openings, as in the preceding species, 

 large. Branchial arches four, the last of which is united 

 to the wall of the branchial cavity. Branchiostegal 

 membrane deeply incised at tiie bottom and united to 

 the isthmus, with G rays. Above the preoperculum, 

 wlucli is closely united to the operculum, lies a strong 

 masticatory muscle, wliich rendcn-s the temples thicker. 

 The end of the opercular margin is truncate, pointing 

 in an u|)ward direction above the upper fold of the 

 pectoral tins, and is continued by a thin, pointed, der- 

 mal flap. The base of the triangle formed by the 

 operculum, suboperculum and this flap is considerably 

 less than half the distance from the end of the flap 

 to the hind margin of the eye. 



The skin, with its copious secretion of nu;cus, is 

 covered as in the preceding species, with very small, 

 thin, rounded scales, some of whicli overlap each other. 

 These scales are scarcely visible, until the mucus has 

 been removed from the skin. Tlie lateral line is in- 

 distinct, runs straight along the depression in the sides 

 of the body, about half-way between the dorsal and 

 ventral edges. The vent lies half-way between the 

 snout and the base of the caudal tin. The distance 

 between the anal fin and the tip of the snout is about 

 45 % of the length of the body. 



The dorsal tin begins in front of the pectoral fins 

 — the distance betAveen it and the tip of the snout is 

 about 15 % of the length of the body — vertically 

 above the insertion of the ventral fins, and runs along 

 the back almost to the base of the caudal fin. It con- 

 sists of hard, pungent rays, the points of which pro- 

 ject above the margin of the fin-membrane, wdiich thus 

 acquires a seri'ated appearance. The first two or three 

 rays are very short and look like independent spines, 

 but in the male aie generally united by a membrane, 

 though free in the female. The next ten rays gradu- 

 ally increase in height, from which point the height 

 of the fin remains about the same for half its length, 



and then diminishes almost imperceptibly towards the 

 end. The upper margin of the fin is thus arched, and 

 its greatest deptli is about equal to the diameter of 

 the eye. The anal fin is of almost the same shape as 

 the dorsal, and extends quite as near, or even nearer, 

 the base of the caudal fin. It is only slightly lower, 

 and its lower margin is not so convex as the upper 

 margin of the dorsal fin. The hi-st two rays are usu- 

 ally sinqjle, the first of all being an unarticulated spi- 

 nous ray; the others, from 33 to 36 in number, arti- 

 culated and branched at the tip. The pectoi-al fins are 

 especially singular in shape. When they are expanded, 

 the hind margin is rounded at the top, while at the 

 lower coi'ner five or six long rays project beyond the 

 margin of the fin-raembrane. They contain 15 rays 

 each, the uppermost being quite short and simple; the 

 next eight or nine, which are about equal in length 

 and bi'anched at the tip, are united by the tliin mem- 

 brane right out to the point; but the next ray quite 

 suddenl}' ])rojects a long distance, about Vs of the length 

 of the upper rays, beyond the fin-membrane, and is the 

 longest ray in the whole fin. The last four or five rays 

 gradually decrease in length, being of the same structure 

 as the last-mentioned ray, and all bifid at the tip. 

 When folded, the fin is of an oblique, lanceolate shape, 

 measures about 14 % of the length of the I)ody, and 

 lies obliquely in an upward direction. The ventral fins, 

 which are situated a little in front of the pectoral, 

 close to each other, are of the same structure as in 

 the preceding species, narrow, of almost uniform breadth, 

 and in length equal to the loAver jaw or about B'/g % 

 of the length of the body. The caudal fin is almost 

 equal in length to the depth of the body, is wide and 

 truncate or somewhat rounded at the end, and consists 

 of 1 1 branched rays and one simple ray on each side, 

 not to mention a few smaller and shorter (supporting) 

 rays just at the base. 



The body is of a dirty yellowish colour, darker 

 above and lighter below, marked along the sides above 

 the lateral line with several dark, irregular, j-ellowish 

 brown spots, which are edged Avith dark brown, and 

 thus form, as it were, several dark rings, partly broken, 

 and parti}' coalescent. As a rule, too, we find on the 

 extreme dorsal edge five or six large, dark spots with 

 the appearance of transverse bands. There is a row 

 of smaller and lighter, round spots along the lateral 

 line, and below it appear indistinct traces of similar 

 spots. The ground-colour of the head is the same as 



