FISHES OF NEW YORK 285 



In captivity the adults live till about the end of June, when 

 the water becomes too warm and they die. Their food consists 

 mainly of shrimps and other small crustaceans. 



Order INOMI 



Lantern Fishes 



Family SYNODONTIDAE, 



Lizard Fishes 

 Genus SYNODUS (Gronow^) Bloch & Schneider 



First superior pharyngeal cartilaginous, second without teeth, 

 third and fourth separate, with teeth; lower pharyngeals sep- 

 arate; body elongate, subterete; head depressed, the snout tri- 

 angular, rather pointed; interorbital region transversely con- 

 cave; mouth very wide; premaxillaries not protractile, very long 

 and strong, more than half length of head, maxillaries closely 

 connected with them, very small or obsolete, premaxillaries with 

 one or two series of large, compressed, knife shaped teeth, the 

 inner and larger depressible, palatine teeth similar, smaller, in 

 a single broad band; lower jaw with a band of rather large 

 teeth, the inner and larger teeth depressible, a patch of strong, 

 depressible teeth on the tongue in front, and a long row along 

 the hyoid bone; jaws nearly equal in front; eye rather large, 

 anterior, supraorbital forming a projection above the eye; 

 pseudobranchiae well developed; gill rakers very small, spine- 

 like; gill membranes slightly connected; top of head naked; 

 cheeks and .opercles scaled like the body; body covered with 

 rather small, adherent, cycloid scales; lateral line present; no 

 luminous spots; dorsal fin short, rather anterior; pectorals 

 moderate, inserted high; ventrals anterior, not far behind pec- 

 torals, large, the inner rays longer than the outer; anal short; 

 caudal narrow, forked; vent posterior, much nearer base of 

 caudal than base of ventrals; branchiostegals 12 to 16; stomach 

 with a long, blind sac and many pyloric caeca; skeleton rather 

 firm. 



