ON THE ICHTHYOLOGY OF THE SEAS OF CHINA AND JAPAN. 303 
‘Sir Edward Belcher and Sir James Ross brought home examples of this species, which 
‘have been deposited in the British Museum. 
- Hab. Seas of China (Belcher), New Zealand and Australia (Ross). 
ASTRONESTHES NIGRA, Richardson, Ichth. of Voy. of Sulphur, p, 97. 
pl. 50. f. 1-3. 
Sir Edward Belcher obtained two specimens. 
Hab. China seas. ? 
Levucosoma cutnensis, Osbeck (Albula), Voy. i, p. 385. Leucosoma 
reevesii, Gray, Zool, Mise. p. 4; Lcon. Reeves, 144; Hardw. Malac. 212. 
Chinese name, Pih fan yu, “White rice fish” (Birch); Pih fan yu, 
“ White fan yu” (Reeves); Pak fan u (Bridgem. Chrest, 244); Pack 
fanny (Osbeck). Rad. “B.3;’ D.11; A.25; C.1944; P.10; V.6 vel 7. 
(Spec, Reev.) 
Examples of this fish exist in the British Museum, where they were deposited by Mr. 
Reeves and General Hardwicke, in the Chinese collection at Hyde Park, and in the Cam- 
bridge Philosophical Institution, to which they were presented by the Rev. George Vachell. 
As Osbeck’s generic appellation was in his day generally applied to the Coregoni, it is pro-= 
bable that he did not consider this fish as presenting peculiar generic characters, and had no 
intention of restricting the name of Albula to this species; Mr. Gray’s expressive one of Leu-~ 
cosoma is therefore the proper generic appellation for this very peculiar form: besides, Bloch 
after Osbeck gave the name of A4lbula to the genus Butirinus, and its re-introduction would 
lead to confusion. It is the ‘ white bait” of the foreign residents at Macao. 
Body elongated, roundish anteriorly ; compressed and higher at the dorsal, which is far back, 
the compression increasing in the tail, which is again more slender. A furrow runs along the 
top of the back to the front of the dorsal and reappears behind that fin. There is likewise a 
furrow from the ventrals to the anus, and the very low posterior part of the anal stands also 
inafurrow. The body is scaleless and transparent, so that the muscles, intestines and spinal 
column can be seen without dissection. Head and jaws very much depressed, presenting a 
mere edge in profile, but when viewed from ubove, showing a lanceolate outline much 
like the bill of a Tyrannula. The head appears to be composed chiefly of thin, flexible and 
diaphanous bone, A fine short mesial ridge exists at the end of the snout, and farther back there 
is a rhomboidal membranous space, which is perforated by three holes, through each of which 
a tooth of the lower jaw protrudes when the mouth is closed. The velum of the upper jaw is 
posterior to this membranous space. The eyes are lateral and encroach both on the upper 
and under profiles of the head. Two minute nasal orifices are situated a short way before 
each eye, The jaws are equal and the short cleft of the mouth is nearly horizontal, but with 
a slight arching in the middle. The maxillary curves over the angle of the mouth, and send- 
ing a fine slip in front of the end of the intermaxillary, forms a considerable part of the mar- 
gin of the upper jaw. About four widely separated, subulate, recurved teeth arm the limb of 
each intermaxillary; and between the foremost of these canines and the tip of the jaw there are 
several much smaller ones in a single series. A close pectinated row of short teeth edges the 
maxillary ; and the lateral teeth of the lower jaw are also smaller and more numerous than 
the upper ones; but in front, a little within the narrow, unarmed tip of the jaw, three strong 
teeth stand in a triangle and pass through the holes above mentioned. The palatine bones 
are finely toothed on the edge, but there are no teeth on the vomer, which is not at all pro- 
minent. A row of strong recurved teeth runs along the middle of the pointed tongue. The 
-gill-cover is convex and curves in so as to touch its fellow on the under surface of the head ; 
the opening is large and is partly seen on the upper surface of the head. The gill-membrane 
unites with the isthmus about one-third nearer to the eye than to the tip of the gill-cover. 
The ventrals are attached rather before the middle of the fish, the first dorsal considerably 
farther back, and the adipose fin over the hinder part of the anal, which is wholly behind the 
dorsal. The first stout ventral ray is jointed, but 1 can perceive no joints in the short anterior 
ray of the dorsal and anal. The first two rays of the dorsal are graduated and incumbent on 
the base of the third one, which is the tallest; the three anterior rays of the anal are also im- 
bedded in the base of the fin*. The pectoral is obliquely truncated, and the caudal is acutely 
notched at the end. On the base of the fin above and below there is a seam-like edge which 
is supported by fourteen short rays, The gut appears to be a straight tube without convolu- 
‘tions, but I did not ascertain the absence of pyloric ceca. Length 73 inches. 
Hab. Canton. 
_.. * There is probably some variety in the numbers of the rays as in notes of the specimen 
belonging to the Cambridge Philosophical Society I find them recorded as D. 14; A, 30, 
The numbers given above correspond better with the enumeration of Osbeck and Gray, 
