588 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xxiv. 
the rest of the genus. Coast of Alaska south to Manchuria and north- 
ern Japan, abundant northward; our specimens are from Kushiro, 
Hakodate, and the market of Tok^'o, whither they may have been 
brought from the north. 
{Dentea'., toothed. ) 
7. MESOPUS Gill. 
(SURF SMELTS.) 
Mesopus Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, p. 14 {pretiosa).^ 
Hypomesus Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, p. 15 (same definition, no type 
named ) . 
Body rather elongate, moderately compressed, covered with thin 
scales of moderate size. Head rather pointed. Mouth moderate, the 
shortish maxillar}^ not extending quite to middle of eye; its outline 
below broadly convex; lower jaw projecting. Teeth minute, on jaws, 
vomer, palatines, pterygoids, and tongue. Ventrals inserted under 
middle of dorsal or rather before it. Branchiostegals 6 to T. North 
Pacific. 
{/ueffos^ middle; ttovs. foot; in allusion to the rather backward 
position of the ventrals.) 
a. Ventrals inserted immediately l^elow or anterior to first ray of dorsal ; anal rays 
16; dorsal 8 or 9 oUdus, 12. 
aa, Ventrals inserted below second or third dorsal ray; anal rays 12 or 13, dorsal 10 
jcqwnicus, 13. 
12. MESOPUS OLIDUS (Pallas). 
CHIKA; AMASAGI (SWEET SAGI OR SMELT). 
Salmo {Osmerus) olidus Pallas, Zoogr. Ross.-Asiat., Ill, 1811, p. 391; lakes 
and rivers of Kamchatka. 
Mesopus olidus GtJNXHER, Cat., VI, 1866, p. 169, in part. 
Hypomesus olidus, Ishikawa, Prel. Cat., 1897, p. 19; Hitaka, Nemuro, Kaga, 
Tsuchiura.— Jordan and Evermann, Fishes N. and M. Araer., I, 1896, 
p. 525. 
Head -ii in length; depth 5i; depth of caudal peduncle 2| in head; 
eye 3f; interorbital space 5; snout 3f; D. 9; A. 16; scales in lateral 
Series 57; in transverse series 13, 
This species closely resembles J/. >'\?^^6';n'c?/6', differing from it notice- 
ably in the longer anal fin, which has 15 or 16 rays, the shorter dorsal 
of 8 or 9 rays, and the more anterior position of the ventrals, which 
are inserted below or anterior to first dorsal ra}'. The maxillary is 
usually longer in this species, extending to middle of pupil or as far 
as the posterior border. A careful study of more material ma}' prove 
this and the next species to be the same. Many specimens from 
Aomori have the dorsal rays 9, sometimes 8, the anal 16, the scales in 
^ By inadvertence these two synonymous names were applied to this genus by Gill. 
Mesopus has priority of a page and has also a type indicated. 
