79 

 Neobtthites, Goode & Bean. 



Neolythife$, Goode and Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mns. VIII. 1886, p. 600: Gunther, Challenger Deep Sea Fishes 

 p. 100. 



Pycnocraspedum, Aloock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Nov. 1889, p. 386. 



Monomitopus, Alcook, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct. 1890, p. 297. 



Neobythite^, (p. 325), Dicromita (p. 319), Benthocometes (p. 327), Bassogigas, (p. 328), Goode and Bean, 

 Oceanic Ichthyology : Jordan and Evermann, Pishes of N. America, III. pp. 2512, 2506, 2514, 2515. 



Body elongate, compressed ; head not compressed, its bones firm : both head 

 and body covered with small cycloid scales : tail not filamentous. 



Lateral line never contiaued to the end of the tail, sometimes very indis- 

 tinct. 



Snout slightly overhanging the lower jaw ; without barbels. Mouth wide. 

 Villiform teeth in bands on the jaws and palatines, and in a A-shaped band or a 

 })atch on the vomer. 



Eye of moderate size. 



Gill-ojjenings wide : operculum with a spine, which is usually long sharp 

 and styliform, but may sometimes be weak and flat. Eight branchiostegals. 

 Pseudobranchige rudimentary (usually consisting of 2 or 3 filaments) or absent. 



Dorsal and anal fins more or less confluent with the caudal. Each ventral 

 fin consists of two rays which may either be intimately fused to form a single 

 filament, or (more commonly) be separate in all or part of their extent : the 

 ventral fins are inserted, either close together or some little distance apart, just 

 behind the clavicular symphysis. 



Air-bladder present. Pyloric ca3ca usually present. 



Another character by which spirit specimens of Neohythites may be recog- 

 nized is that the dorsal profile of the cranium and snout form a single common 

 curve of no great convexity. 



Distribution : Atlantic : Indo-Pacific. At moderate depths usually. 

 Key to the Indian species of the genus Neobythites. 



1. The lateral line runs lialfway along the tail, or further : pectoral fins 

 broad and short : pyloric cseca present : — 

 1. A strong sharp styliform spine at the tipper angle of the opercu- 

 lum : numerous long gill-rakers along the outer side of the 1st 

 branchial arch : each pseudobranch consists of two small fila- 

 ments : pyloric creca very short : — 



i. Very short pyloric casca in a ring round the pylorus and in 

 two short ix)ws along the mesenteric attachment of the 

 neighbouring part of the intestine : — 



a. Two spines or spinules at the angle of the preoper- 

 culum : — 



a. Each ventral fin consist of 2 rays coherent 



only in their basal moiety ... ... N. macrope. 



