114 BULLETIN 30, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



11. NEOMERIS Gray. 



Ncomeria, Gray, Zool. Erebns & Terror, 1846, p. 30. 



This geuus appears to have but one character to distiuguisb it from 

 Phocama, namely, the absence of a dorsal fin. I was unable to discover 

 any peculiarities in the skull or the remainder of the skeleton whicli 

 could be regarded as sufficient to warrant a separation from the latter 

 genus. Is the absence of a dorsal fin a sufficient generic character 1 

 I believe that it is, or at least must be so regarded until we know more 

 of the anatomy of Keomeris. The case is somewhat different from that 

 of Lcucorhamplius^ because in that genus we find the absence of a dor- 

 sal fin correlated with certain characters in the skeleton. In Neomeris 

 no similar correlation has been pointed out. On the other hand, the 

 dorsal fins of the three species of Fhocccna show no signs of degenera- 

 tion and furnish us no steps by which to descend to Neomeris. It may 

 be, however, that when the anatomy of Feomcris is known many new 

 distinctions will be discovered. In the present state of knowledge I 

 would adopt Professor Flower's conservative course, and leave the 

 genus to be sustained or set aside by later investigations. 



Only a single species is recognized in the following pages, viz, N. 

 l^liocccnoides (Cuvier), 



NEOMERIS PHOC^NOIDES (Cuvier). 



DeJphinus phocwnoides, Cuvier, Eegne Auim., 2(1 ed., i, 1829, p. 2U1. 

 Delplnnus melas, Temmiuclc, Fauua Japon., Mauiniif. niariu., 1850, p. 14, pis. 25-26. 

 Deljihivajyierus molagan, Oweu, Trans. Zool. Soc. Loudou, vi, 1869, p. 24. 

 Xeomeris 2)hoca'noides, Gray, Zool. Erebus & Terror, 1846, p. 30, Malm, Sven. Akad. 



Handl., u. f., ix, i, 1870, p. 77. 

 Neomeris hurracldensis, Murray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 5tU series, xiii, 1884, p, 



351. 



The three specimens of this animal which fell under my notice are as 

 follows : 



Museum d'hist. nat., Paris. 



No. A. 3087. Skull. Coast of Malabar. Dussumier. Type of D. lihocwnoiUvs 

 Cuvier. 



No. A. 3086. Skull. Cape of Good Hope. 

 Le-xdex Museum. 



Skeleton. Japan. Briiger. Type of I), melas Tenimiuck. 



These three skulls agree well together, but in Temminck's specimen 

 the beak is somewhat the longest, while the breadth of the brain-case 

 is least. In this skull the thickened portion of the intermaxilhe in front 

 of the nostrils rises very high. Bistally the intermaxilhie are flat. The 

 foramen magnum is large, lozenge-shaped, and a little higher than 

 broad. The condyles are widely separated. 



The total length of this skeleton is 128'"'. I counted the following 

 vertebme: C. 7, I), 13, L. & Ca., 43 = 03. The atlas and axis are united. 



