LEPTOOEPHAUD^,. 151 



Descr. Closely resembling lour/irostris, but essentially separated 

 from it by the sliorlness of the snout ; neither is the body as high, 

 nor does the back fall down so Hatly from the occiput. The small, 

 slender, somewhat truncated caudal fin is sustained by visible rays. 

 Eyes, like those of lonyirostris, black. 

 Total length . . . . . . . 3-15 in. 



Length to anus ....... 2*71 ,, 



Messina (from whence a specimen was sent by Bibron to the 

 Paris Museum). 



16. Leptocephai.us acuticaudatus, Kaup, fig. 16. 



Diaijn. Pointed caudal and pectoral fins. Ring-like dots on the 

 anterior part of the ventral border. 



Descr. Head moderately blunt ; no teeth ; eyes gold-coloured. 

 The pigmentary rings on the fore part of the ventral rim pass 

 into black points, which probably extend to the tip of the tail. 

 The dorsal fin, destitute of visible rays, begins near the head. 

 Our figure is like those of the other species of the natural size. 



Malabar. (A specimen in the Paris Museum. From Dussumier.) 



17. Leptocephalus Dussumieei, Kaup, fig. 17. 



Diagn, A very small head, no teeth, and a pointed tail destitute 

 of a caudal fin. No dots either ou the lateral line or along the 

 edge of the belly. 



Descr. Three examples exist in the Paris Museum, one of which 

 is dried up to the thinness of paper; and a small one was sent 

 fi'om Malabar by Dussumier. It is a moderately-elongated species, 

 whose transverse muscular furrows are very fine, and not near each 

 other. The pectorals are wanting. In none of the fins could I 

 discover rays. 



18. Leptocephalus dentex, Cantor. 

 Leptocephalus deutex, Cantor, Mai. Fish. 1315. 



Diagn. A short, taper-pointed snout. Five teeth in the upper 

 jaw, with five smaller ones interposed. Five mandibular teeth, 

 with three between the front ones. 



Descr. Entire length tive inches and a half, in which the length 

 of the head is contained seventeen and a half times. The origin 

 neither of an anal nor dorsal fin could be detected. The specimen 

 was found in the stomach of a Johniiis diacantltus at Penang, and 

 was partially injured by digestion. This species caiuiot be con- 

 founded with the preceding one, being sufficiently distinguished by 

 the presence of teeth. 



19. Leptocephalus t^nia, Paris ]\luseum, Kaup, fig. 18. 



Diagn. A round head. Large, projecting, globular eyes. A short 

 snout, whose length equals the diameter of the eyes. Seven pointed 



