490 Mr. A. S. Woodward on some 



scales. The first genus has not hitherto been defined, and 

 may receive the new name of Ctenothrissa ; the second lias 

 already been described as Pseudoheryx. 



. Ctenothrissa, gen. nov. 



Definition. Head large ; trunk deeply fusiform and laterally 

 compressed, but ventral border of abdomen flattened. Maxilla 

 robust and arched, with two large supramaxillary bones ; 

 mandible deep, a little prominent, and gape of mouth not 

 extending behind the middle of the large orbit; minute teeth 

 on the margin of the jaws. Preoperculum only slightly 

 expanded ; operculum and suboperculum deep and narrow. 

 Vertebras from 30 to 40 in number, half being caudal. Pelvic 

 fins much enlarged and inserted far forwards; dorsal fin much 

 deepened, occupying about half of the back ; anal fin small; 

 caudal fin deeply cleft. Scales pectinated, large and regu- 

 larly arranged, none enlarged or thickened, and no dorsal or 

 ventral ridge-scales ; lateral line conspicuous. 



Type. {So-called Beryx vexillifer, Pictet, from Upper 

 Cretaceous, Hakel, Mount Lebanon. 



The three best-known species are : — 



(1) Ctenothrissa vexillifer, Pictet, sp. 



Originally referred to Beryx by F. J. Pictet (Descript. 

 Poiss. Foss. Mt. Liban (1850), p. 8, pi. i. fig. 1). The 

 fine series of specimens of this species in the British Museum 

 clearly shows the Clupeoid head, which, indeed, is partly 

 represented in the restoration by Pictet and Humbert (Nouv. 

 Kech. Poiss. Foss. Mt. Liban (1866), pi. ii. fig. 3). The 

 premaxilla is very small and the loose arched maxilla rela- 

 tively large, with two supramaxillaries, as in Clupea. It is 

 quite clear that none of the fin-rays are spinous. The 

 largest specimens are about 0"07 m. in length, and the 

 specific characters may be briefly stated as follows : — 

 Length of head with opercular apparatus approximately 

 equal to the maximum depth of the trunk, and contained 

 about one and a half times in the length from the pectoral 

 arch to the base of the caudal fin. 30 vertebra?. Pectoral 

 fins about half as long as the pelvic pair, which are inserted 

 beneath the former and comprise 8 stout rays, the foremost 

 only articulated distally, the others both divided and articu- 

 lated distally, the longest when adpressed to the trunk reaching 

 the anal fin ; dorsal fin with 18 to 20 rays, the sixth longest ; 

 anal fin with 13 or 14 rays, opposite the hinder third of the 

 dorsal. Scales very finely pectinated. Known only from 

 the Upper Cretaceous of Hakel, Mount Lebanon. 



