PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 469 



of JHotacanthus, JSf. honapartii, shows a wide geograpliieal range, lie 

 should not feel justified in giving a distinct name to the fish described." 

 We can not help feeling tliat Dr. Giinther has departed from his cus- 

 tomary cautious aiul scientific metliod iu this ease, and are satisfied that 

 he would not have doue so had he seeu the specimen obtained by the 

 French Exploring Expedition on the coast of Morocco, and described 

 and figured by Vaillant. Coming as it does from the .Alediterranean 

 region, and having a proboscis-like character of the snout, much more 

 emphasized than in the Japanese form, the presumptions in favor of 

 its identity with N. ri.s.soanH.s are very strong. We therefore not only 

 a(loi)tthc identificatiou of Vaillant, iu preference to that of (liinther, 

 but accej)t the new name which Vaillant has proposed for the Japa- 

 nese form. 



Fiimily LirOGENYID^E. 

 Lipoyenyida', Gill, MS. 



Heteromes with a roundish, inferior, suctorial mouth ; imperfect lower 

 jaw with its rami separated at middle, connected with the correspond- 

 ing sides of the upper jaw, and invested iu a thick, transversely i)licated 

 horseshoe-shaped li[), refiected upward behind on the cheeks; lu) teeth; 

 short row of four or five partially connected graduated dorsal si)iues, 

 and five to seven branched rays, forming a regular fin. (Gill.) 



The anomalous and unexampled modification of the lower jaw and 

 mouth deserves a. detailed aiuitoiuical examination; but the existence 

 of only one specimen for the present, at least, is deemed to render such 

 an investigation inadvisabh;. 



LIPOGENYS, uew genus. 



Head and body compressed, the body elongate as in Xotacanthus. 

 Snout produced, compressed, obtuse at tip. €31eft of the mouth infe- 

 rior, suctorial, circular iu front, surrounded by rugose, contractile lip, 

 with cleft posteriorly fianked by Aving-like flaps, containing the modi- 

 fied mandibulary bones whicli articulate with the end of the maxilla, 

 and are free behind. A concealed spine at the end of the maxilla. No 

 teeth. Anterior nostril in short tube, the posterior oblong, under a 

 short flap. Dorsal fin short, but normal and well developed, with a 

 distinct soft portion. Anal fin normal in position, high, with many 

 spines, and with some of the rays spine-like, though forked. A dis- 

 tinct though very small caudal fin. Ventrals normal, well developed, 

 with several spines. Scales minute, very numerous. Lateral line cou- 

 spicuovis. 



LIPOGENYS GILLII, new species. 

 Plate XVIII, fig. 3. 



Body compressed, its greatest width one-half its height, which is 

 about one-tenth of the length. The length of the head is contained 

 8§ times in that of the body and twice m the distance from the origin 



