ATHERINHXE 3ANTECLITES 39 



Family ATHERINID-flE. 



34. Zanteclites hubbsi Jordan and Gilbert, new genus and species. 

 (Plate XV, fig. 3; Plate XVI) 



A little fish about four inches long (No. XLV, Stanford Geological 

 Collection), from Bairdstown, with the head crushed, certainly belongs 

 to the ATHERINHLE. 



Head about 3 in length; to base of caudal, the depth 5; D VIII ? 

 A I, 7 or 8; scales about 34; vertebrae about 16-)- 20 =36. Body 

 moderately elongate, formed as in ATHERINA, mouth apparently oblique, 

 the jaws subequal, extending to below posterior part of eye; faint 

 traces of small uniform teeth on a fragment of the mandible. (In 

 another specimen, No. 1, from Shorb, the premaxillary border appears 

 straight, as in ATHERINA and HEPSETUS, very slightly bent downward 

 at tip.) 



First dorsal fin median, entirely before the anal, the fin relatively 

 large, the first spine very short, the second and third moderate, the other 

 spines filamentous and flexuous for more than half their length, their 

 height about equal to depth of body and greater than length of base of 

 fin. Dorsals close together, the soft dorsal inserted slightly in front 

 of anal ; the fin, except for three rays, obliterated, the longest rays about 

 one and a half in depth of body. Caudal well forked, the length of 

 lobes about equal to depth of body; pectorals inserted high, narrow and 

 very long, some of the rays streamer-like, reaching middle of base of 

 first dorsal. Ventrals partly destroyed, inserted midway between base 

 of pectoral and that of anal, under the fifteenth vertebra and opposite 

 middle of spinous dorsal. Scales moderate, smooth, evident over most 

 of body, nearly circular, with fine concentric striae crossing a few 

 low radiating ridges, the edges crenate rather than ctenoid. Neural 

 and haemal spines short. 



Caudal fin with twenty- four rays, deeply forked and filmy, with 

 weak rays. The hypural is peculiarly branched; it divides into the two 

 general halves with a diamond-shaped space between. These hypural 

 parts branch again into a major and a minor part. The major supports 

 the middle portion of fin rays on either side, the minor branch supports 

 the shorter, fewer, innermost rays, while the neural spines of the last 

 vertebra support the longest and external rays, and the next to the 

 last vertebra joins in supporting the most external, short, stout, spine- 

 like rays. 



Branchiostegals moderate in breadth, with irregular margins; sub- 

 opercle strong. 



In the diatomaceous shales at Shorb a number of fragments of this 

 species also occur. One of these shows the mouth parts fairly well. The 



