XXIII PLECTOGNATHI T2e 
Body non-inflatable, truncate posteriorly, without caudal peduncle; 
caudal fin absent, the dorsal and anal fins confluent. Skin 
rough or tessellated. Vertebrae 17 in Orthagoriscus. 
The very young are armed with spines. 
Fic, 440.—Orthagoriscus mola. (After Goode.) x 34. 
The “Sun-Fish ” are extraordinary creatures found in the open 
sea or descending to great depths, and of wide distribution. 
The number of species is still very uncertain, but two generic 
forms, Orthagoriscus or Mola and Ranzania, are easily distin- 
guished. Examples of both occur now and then on our coasts. 
Orthagoriscus mola grows to upwards of 8 feet and to a weight 
of 1800 pounds. It has been observed to swim slowly about, 
near the surface, the high dorsal above the water. Its food is 
said to consist chiefly of jelly-fish and larval fishes; its mode of 
reproduction and places of breeding are still unknown. 
