268 



3. Fam. NEENCHELIDAE. 



Body scaleless, elongate, anteriorly subcylindrical, posteriorly 

 somewhat compressed. Anus far behind gillopenings, in anterior 

 half of length. Lateral line present. Origin of dorsal at some 

 distance behind gillopenings. Dorsal, anal and caudal confluent. 

 Pectorals present. Snout conical, somewhat prominent by the 

 prominence of the ethmoid together with the intermaxillary plate 

 beyond the articulation with the maxillaries. Cleft of mouth 

 reaching beyond eye. Eye small. Posterior nostrils a long narrow 

 slit in front of eye, anterior nostrils in a short tube near tip of 

 snout, immediately above border of upper lip. Tongue not free. 

 Teeth acute, few, spaced, uniserial in jaws and on vomer. 

 Gillopenings small or medium, lateral, separated by a broad 

 interspace. Branchial openings in pharynx are narrow slits. 



Distribution: that of the single genus known. 



i. Neenchelys Bamber. 



(RUTH C. BAMBER, Journ. Linn. Soc. London, Zoology, XXXI. 1915, p. 479). 



For characters of the genus see those of the family. 

 Distribution: Two species known, one from the western 



Fig. 1 1 6. Neenchelys buitendijki n. sp. nat. size. 



coast of the Red Sea, and one from the Indo-australian 

 Archipelago. 



i. Neenchelys buitendijki n. sp. 



Subcylindrical, posteriorly compressed. Height 19 21; 2.4 2.6 

 in length of head. Head 8, about 2 in trunk. Head and body 

 1.5 16 in tail. Eye nearly 18 ; about 3 times in snout, which goes 

 5-3 6.7 times in length of head. Cleft of mouth 4.5 times in length 

 of head, extending behind eye for a distance about equal to 



