K0.1544. JAPANESE LIZARD-FISHES— JORDAN AND IIERRE. 519 



3. SAURIDA ARGYROPHANES (Richardson). 

 ESO, MAESO (TRUE ESO) NIREDOESO. 



Saiirus argyrophanfs Richardson, Ichth. China, 1846, p. 302 (Canton) (de- 

 scribed from a drawing). 



Saurida argyrophancs Gunther, Cat. Fish., V, 1864, p. 400 (Chinese and Japanese 

 seas). — Namiye, Class. Cat., 1881, p. 106 (Tokyo). — Ishikawa, Prel. Cat., 

 1897, p. 22 (Tokyo).— Jordan and Evermann, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 XXV, 1902, p. 329 (Formosa).— Jordan and Snyder, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 XXIII, 1900, p. 350 (Tokyo); Check List, p. 56, 1901 (Yokohama). 



Aidopus elongatus Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss., p. 233, 

 1847, pi. cv, fig. 2, (Nagasaki). 



Hahitat.- Cosist of Japan and China, s(,ulhward to the Phihppines. 



Head 4| to 4 J in length without caudal; depth varying- with age 

 from 7 in very large specimens to 9 in the young; greatest width of 

 head 2 in its length; maxillary H in head; interorbital space equal 

 to snout, 4 in head; D. 11; A. 10; P. 14; V. 9; scales 4-54-6. 



Body elongate, subcylindrical, back but little elevated, anteriorly 

 broad and flattened; head long, depressed, broad; snout broad, blunt, 

 with a broad shallow depression on top of snout running back of 

 eyes; a bony protuberance at anterior end of groove, back of tip of 

 snout; eyes well forward, high, 6 in head; adipose eyelid narrow, 

 not extending to pupil; anterior nostril concealed by a thin, fleshy 

 flap. 



Mouth large, oblique, the jaws equal; lips narrow, so that teeth 

 are visible; teeth in several rows, those of inner row much the 

 largest; palatines armed with rows or bands of small or fine teeth, 

 those of inner rows much larger than the rest; tongue small, free 

 anteriorly, covered with bands of fine teeth; branchial arches with 

 bands of fine teeth, those in throat largest; all teeth depressible 

 inward. Gill openings very large, the gill membranes free from 

 isthmus; gill filaments moderately long, rather coarse and blunt; 

 pseudobranchiie numerous, well developed. Lateral line straight, 

 keeled, strongly so posteriorly. 



Scales large, cycloid, rather deciduous, three rows on cheeks; 

 opercles and occiput scaled, rest of head naked; caudal scaled nearly 

 its whole length; a very long, narrow, pointed scale at upper axil. of 

 pectoral; a similar one at ventral is more than twice as long as the 

 broad pointed scale at inner angle of ventral and eventually reaches 

 more than half the length of the ventral fin. Dorsal and anal each 

 with a basal sheath of long, narrow, pointed scales. 



Dorsal short, high, its longest spine IJ in head, decreasing in 

 height very rapidly, the last spine less than J as long as second (in 

 one large specimen the second spine is 1| times longer than head); 

 the distance from tip of snout to origin of dorsal eciuals distance 

 from origin of dorsal to posterior margm of depressed adipose dorsal; 



