ZANTECLITES 11 



times in the length of the vertebral column, the interorbital width, about 

 10 or 11 times. The snout and jaws are not preserved in this specimen. 

 Another, from Shorb, shows the mouth oblique, of moderate extent; the 

 outline of the premaxillary nearly straight, a little curved forward at 

 tip. 



Vertebrae 16 + 19 + 1 = 36, the precaudal portion scarcely shorter 

 than the caudal. Apparently all of the precaudals bear pleurals, and 

 traces of epipleurals persist. The neural and hsemal spines are rather 

 short, and the vertebrae are rather slender. As in Atherina, the spines 

 from about five vertebrae support the procurrent caudal rays, the upper- 

 most and lowermost of the principal caudal rays impinging on the tips of 

 the hypural. This is an important family character. 



Spinous dorsal well developed, and submedian in position, its origin 

 probably being a little nearer tip of snout than base of caudal. Spines 

 VIII, rather crowded, but more widely spaced than in the Atherinin.^ 

 or Atherinopsin^, supported by interneurals attached apparently to 

 the neural spines of vertebrae 6 to 12. First dorsal spine short, the 

 second about as long as base of fin, the rest elongate, and evidently fila- 

 mentous distally, about as high as the body is deep. Second dorsal 

 adjacent to the first dorsal, its first ray (probably a slender spine) at- 

 tached to the interneural immediately following the one supporting the 

 last spine of the first dorsal ; four or five other rays can be distinguished, 

 the height of the longest perhaps a little greater than length of first 

 dorsal base. 



Caudal fin forked, each lobe so far as preserved a little shorter than 

 depth of body or height of dorsal spines ; uppermost and lowermost 

 developed rays robust and simple ; the other rays branched, becoming 

 more slender toward middle of fin. The procurrent caudal rays are well 

 developed. 



x^nal fin short, falcate in outline, its height about equal to depth of 

 caudal peduncle. The first ray is probably a short spine similar to the 

 first in the spinous dorsal, and is followed by about 10 or 11 longer rays. 

 The origin of the anal is considerably posterior to that of the second 

 dorsal. 



The pectoral is obviously represented by several detached rays and 

 by two rays which appear to be in situ at the lower hinder end of the 

 pectoral base, opposite the angle near the upper end of the clavicle, but 

 rather distant from it. The fin is narrow and long, as long as the head. 

 In its position it resembles closely that of the living Atherinid.<e 

 (Nannatherina excepted) in its oblique base and high insertion. The 

 hypocoracoid is seemingly represented, as in Atherina, by a large plate. 

 (The ventral fins do not show in the photograph, but part of the fin is 



