Mr. J. Y. Johnson on new Fishes from Madeira. 6i> 



Nesiarchxjs nasutus, sp. n. 



1st D. 20. 2ndD. 2. 21. A. 22. P. 13. V. 1.4. C. vii. 8 + 7. 

 vii. M. JB. 7. 



This fish has much of the external aspect of Thyrsites Prometheus. 

 The body is very elongate, compressed, covered with small, deciduous, 

 cycloid scales, which are elegantly marked with concentric strise ; 

 the height of the body, compared with the total length, is as 1 to 

 13. The head is scaly in every part, but unarmed ; it is compressed, 

 and the cheeks are flat. There is a broad groove between the eyes 

 and on the snout, as in Aphanopus. The length of the head, com- 

 pared with the total length, is as 1 to 4|. The round eye is placed 

 at the side of the head, and does not quite reach to the outline ; it 

 is contained 9\ times in the head, is rather more than a diameter 

 distant from the other eye, and each is distant about 4^ diameters 

 from the tip of the snout. The members of each pair of nostrils are 

 distant from each other, and the hinder one is a small oblique slit. 

 The bones of the scaly opercle and subopercle are thin and radiato- 

 striate ; the border of the former has an angular projection. The 

 gill-openings are wide. The snout is long, and is terminated by a 

 large conical cartilaginous process, which projects much beyond the 

 jaw. The mandible has a similar but longer cartilaginous process. 

 These processes (some rudiments of which may be seen in Aphano- 

 pus) bestow on the head somewhat of the appearance of Sphyrcena 

 vulgaris. The rictus is large. The upper border of the mouth is 

 formed entirely of the premaxillary, which is broad above and narrow 

 below. The scaly maxillary, which lies exposed behind, and is broad 

 below and narrow above, does not quite reach back to the vertical 

 Irpm the middle of the eye. The mandibular bones project a little 

 beyond those of the upper jaw. 



The dentition bears much resemblance to that of Aphanopus. In 

 each jaw there is a single series of moderately strong teeth, which 

 are pointed, compressed, and subtriangular ; those of the lower jaw 

 are about thirteen in number on each side, and are rather larger than 

 those of the upper jaw, where there are also thirteen on each side, 

 in addition to three pairs of considerably larger teeth, which stand a 

 little within the line of the others, near the fore end of the jaw. 

 These teeth increase in size backwards, the last pair being about 

 four-tenths of an inch long. 



All these are pointed and compressed, and have a slight double 

 curvature. The three pairs stand opposite the second, third, and 

 fourth pairs of teeth on the lower jaw. There are no teeth on the 

 palatine bones or on the vomer. The tongue is smooth, narrow, 

 and black like the pharynx and the inside of the gill-covers. 



The first dorsal fin commences at the nape in front of the root of 

 the pectoral fins. It rises from a groove, is moderately high, and 

 its spines are weak, distant, and grooved, but not tuberculated. It 

 is rather higher behind than in front, and there is an interval equal 

 to about one-fifth of the length of the head between it and the second 

 dorsal, which is high in front, where it is subtriangular. The fourth 

 and fifth rays are the longest. The last four or five ravs are short 



Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol.xi. 5 



