Order APODES Linne. 



Physostome. Body anguilliform or bandshaped. Scales absent, 

 vestigial or small. Lateral line present or absent. Skull long, 

 the supraoccipital separated from the frontals by the parietals, 

 which are meeting. Upper jaw formed by the dentigerous 

 maxillaries, the intermaxillaries not developed as distinct bones 

 but represented by a dentigerous bony plate (intermaxillary 

 plate), ankylosed with the mesethmoid and generally also with 

 the vomer. This plate completes the upper jaw anteriorly. 

 Palato-pterygoids small or reduced, without teeth. Opercular 

 bones small; the membrane covering the large branchial 

 chambers chiefly supported by the long branchiostegals. Anterior 

 vertebrae not modified, no Weberian ossicles. Pectoral arch 

 not attached to the skull ; pectorals present or absent ; ventrals 

 absent. Caudal if present united with dorsal and anal, the 

 rays of which are never spinous. A single pair of dentigerous 

 upper pharyngeals opposed to the separate lower pharyngeals. 

 The branchial openings in the pharynx are wide or narrow 

 slits. When young ribbon-shaped, translucent, pelagic or 

 bathypelagic, passing through a s-eries of stages known as 

 Leptocephaliy which are treated at the end of the Apodes. 



Artificial key to the indo-australian families 



of Apodes. 



I. Gillopenings ventral, united into an oval groove 

 (see fig. 163, p. 335). Body and postorbital parts 

 of head scaly. Branchial openings in pharynx 



wide slits Synaphobranchidac p. 334. 



II. Gillopenings separate, mostly lateral. 



A. Distance of anus from gillopenings much more 

 than length of head. Jaws not exceedingly 

 slender and not much produced. 



