FISHES — EMBIOTOCOIDAE — EMBIOTOCA LINEATA. 175 



smaller and irregularly disposed in series. The bianchiotsegal rays, five on either side, are 

 entirely concealed under the opercular apparatus. The upper surface of the head is perfectly 

 smooth ; four scales constitute an insulated group upon the supratympanic region. 



The body is very much compressed, the greatest thickness being about one-third of the 

 greatest depth, which is contained twice and two-thirds of a time in the total length, The 

 dorsal and ventral outlines are regularly arched, giving to the body a sub-elliptical profile. 

 The profile above the eye is slightly depressed. The peduncle of the tail is of medium develop- 

 ment ; its least depth is less than a third of the depth of the body. 



A line drawn vertically downwards from the origin of the dorsal fin would pass behind the 

 posterior end of the insertion of the pectorals. The base of the spinous portion of that fin, 

 along which may be counted ten spines, is but a little shorter than the remaining portion, 

 composed of twenty-four or five rays, bifurcating once from below their middle, there being 

 but very few in the centre which exhibit a tendency towards a bifurcation of the second degree. 

 The anterior articulated rays are about twice the height of the posterior ones ; they gradually 

 diminish backwards, giving a nearly straight outline to the upper edge of the fin. The caudal 

 is forked ; its length enters about six times in the total length ; its rays show traces of a 

 bifurcation of tlie fifth degree. The anal is nearly straight upon its external margin ; its 

 anterior spines are slender, followed by ten undivided and twenty bifurcated rays, their bifur- 

 cation being altogether similar to the rays of the dorsal fin. The anterior articulated rays are 

 likewise twice as high as the posterior, which approximate nearer to the base of the caudal than 

 those of the opposite fin. The origin of the ventrals is situated opposite the third dorsal spine. 

 Their exterior and spiny ray is half the length of the next articulated one, which is the longest 

 of all ; their posterior extremity reaches a vertical line drawn from the third articulated ray of 

 the dorsal. A bifurcation of the third degree may be observed upon the extremity of the rays. 

 The pectoral fins, the central rays of which also sub-divide three times, are of medium develop- 

 ment ; their posterior extremity corresponds to the vertical of the last dorsal spine. 



The formula of the fins is as follows : 

 Br. V : V ; D XI, 24 + 1 ; A III, 10 -f 20 = 30 ; C 2, 1, 6, 6, 1, 1 ; V I, 5 ; P 22. 



The scales are of medium size ; the lateral line contains sixty-two of them ; eight rows may 

 be counted above the lateral line^ and eighteen rows beneath it. The largest scales occupy the 

 middle of the flanks ; they diminish gradually in size towards the dorsal, as well as towards 

 the abdominal and thoracic regions. The dorsal groove extends anteriorly to the tenth dorsal 

 spine, disappearing towards the twentieth articulated ray. The sheath above the groove is 

 composed anteriorly of two, and posteriorly of one row of scales. The scales on the dorsal 

 region are a little higher than long, whilst in the lateral line and on the abdomen they are a 

 little longer than high ; their posterior edge is regularly convex, the sides slightly rounded, 

 and the anterior margin nearly straight. 



The ground color along the dorsal region is dark olive, with longitudinal stripes of purplish 

 brown running through the middle of the scales. On the flanks below the lateral line the 

 ground color has become purplish, the longitudinal stripes having widened, leaving but a narrow 

 streak of a light olivaceous hue running parallel to one another, intersecting the point of union 

 between the rows of scales ; they become less and less distinct as they approach the abdominal 



