586 



FISHES. 



developed, closely adherent to the intermaxillary. Teeth in a 

 single series, unequal in size. Eye large. Ventrals small, in- 

 serted opposite or nearly opposite the dorsal. Dorsal fin short, 

 on the hinder part of the body ; adipose fin small ; anal 

 elongate, occupying the end of the tail ; caudal emarginate. 



Three species ; small pelagic fishes from the Mediter- 

 ranean and Atlantic. — Sudis, from the Mediterranean, has a 

 dentition slightly different from that of Paralepis. 



Plagyodus. — Body elongate, compressed, scaleless ; snout 

 much produced, with very wide cleft of the mouth. Intermax- 

 illary very long and slender ; maxillary thin, immovable. 

 Teeth in the jaws and of the palate very unequal in size, the 



Fig. 270. — Plagyodus ferox. 



majority pointed and sharp, some very large and ' lanceolate. 

 Eye large. Pectoral and ventral fins well developed ; the 

 rayed dorsal fin occupies the whole length of the back from the 

 occiput to opposite the anal fin ; adipose and anal fins of 

 moderate size. Caudal forked. Branchiostegals six or seven. 



This is one of the largest and most formidable deep-sea 

 fishes. One species only is well known, P.' ferox, from 

 Madeira and the sea off Tasmania ; other species have been 

 noticed from Cuba and the North Pacific, but it is not evi- 

 dent in w^hat respects they differ specifically from P. ferox. 

 This fish grows to a length of six feet, and from the stomach 

 of one example have been taken several Octopods, Crusta- 



