12 COPEIA 



on vomer; in narrow bands on palatines. The gill 

 arches and viscera were removed when the fish was 

 frozen. 



The dorsals are apparently separated by the 

 space of two spines, but dissection shows these to be 

 present, buried below the thick skin; two anterior 

 spines are very short; the third is the longest, with 

 the margin of the fin falling straightly to the first 

 buried spine; preceding the soft rays are two un- 

 jointed rays (or spines), closely applied to the third. 

 The soft dorsal is highest at the fifth ray, slightly 

 emarginate in outline. When supine the longest dor- 

 sal ray reaches over the basis of seven following rays, 

 while that of the similarly shaped anal reaches to the 

 base of the last. The last rays in both fins are less 

 in length than the eye diameter. The pectorals are 

 a little falcate in shape, and extend back to the level 

 of the eighth dorsal spine. The ventrals are inserted 

 a short distance behind the pectorals. 



Scales are present everywhere on exposed sur- 

 faces save the lips, edges of fins, membranes of spin- 

 ous dorsal, edges of branchiostegal flaps, and the in- 

 ner surfaces of paired fins; rough to touch, they are 

 not roughly ctenoid; they appear non-imbricate be- 

 cause buried deeply. 



The color is very dark, save for projecting whit- 

 ish edges of scales; only traces of dark bands are 

 present, one as wide as % of the head length lying 

 under the pectorals, 3 others of equal width respec- 

 tively just before the vent, over the posterior two- 

 thirds of the anal, and on the caudal peduncle. Ven- 

 trally the body is not markedly lighter than dorsally. 

 The peritoneum is scraped away, but the buccal lin- 

 ing shows very dark. Lips and fin edges are black, 

 with strong tinges of blue. 



The measurements follow: Head .32 of length to 

 base of caudal; depth. 30; body width .19; eye .045; 

 maxillary length .13; width .032; suborbital width 



