Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 93 



Raw. biroslris, WALIIAUM, Artedi Piscium, 535, 1792, after Diabolus mannus Willughby, etc. 



AWi ,H,tit<iti, BLOCK & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth., 364,1801, Tropical America ; after liaierna- 



natic, Lac6i>d'de. 



i;,<j<t ,li,iblns HKtrinHit, BLOCH & SCHNEIDER, I. c., 368, 1801, India; after Willughby. 

 l!,ii<ijhnl-i<tla, LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 677, 1803, Gulf Stream, 58 N. 

 i'.-),halpleni. ritinpi/rus, MITCHILL, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1823, 23, Delaware Bay. 

 C'i'it"i>tt'rn rainpi/ms, DvMERiL, Elasmobranches, i, 660,1870. 

 <'i>-(iipti't-<i /V//;//I//-HS, GUNTHEK, Cat., vin, 498,1870. 

 ('.j l hnl"l>tirn.t(jiorna, LE SUEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., iv, 1824, 115, Georgia; (not Raja 



<jii-)iu, Lacepede). 



dphaloptera innntu, or Munta americana, BANCROFT, Zool. Journal, iv, 144, 1828, Jamaica. 

 (_'ei>ltl<>i>(ir<ijoh>ti, Mfi.LKH & HEXLE, Plagiostomen, 186, 1838, West Indies. 

 Brackioptilon hamUtoni, NEWMAN, Zool., 74, 1849, Gulf of California. 

 liiitliolichtlii/selliotti, HOLMES, Proc. Elliott Soc. Nat. Hist., 1856, 39, Charleston. 

 Mania liroslris, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 52, 1883. 



Subclass HOLOCEPHALI. 



(THE CHIMERAS.) 



Skeleton cartilaginous. Gill cavity with 4 clefts within, but having 

 one external opening only, which is covered by a fold of skin. No spir- 

 acles. Mouth inferior. Jaws with teeth, confluent into bony plates; 

 upper jaw, palate, and hyomandibular coalescent with the skull ; intestine 

 with a spiral valve. Pectoral fins normally developed, placed low ; ventral 

 tins abdominal, with claspers in the male. Derivative radii sessile on the 

 sides of the basal bones of the limbs. Skin scaleless, its muciferous sys- 

 tem well developed. This group contains a single order, CHIM.EROIDEI. 

 (HOLOCEPHALA, Cat., Gunther, vin, 348-352.) (6Aof, solid; e0a^ y head). 



Order H. CHIM^EROIDEI. 

 (THE CHIM^EROIDS.) 



Characters of the order included above. The group includes one exist- 

 ing family, CHIM.ERID.E. (xipatpa, chimaera; el6of t resemblance.) 



Family XXIX. CHINLERIELE. 

 (THE CHIMERAS.) 



Body elongate, rather robust anteriorly, tapering posteriorly. Head 

 compressed; mouth small, inferior, the upper lip deeply notched. Nos- 

 trils confluent with the mouth, separated by a narrow isthmus; jaws 

 with the -teeth confluent into 4 bony laminae above and 2 below. No 

 spiracles. Pectoral fins free, placed low ; ventral fins abdominal, many- 

 rayed, provided in the male with claspers; dorsal fin usually divided, 

 anteriorly with a very strong spine, which is grooved behind; caudal 

 fin low, fold-like. Skin naked, rarely somewhat prickly. Lateral line 

 present, usually with numerous branches anteriorly. Three free gills 

 and 2 half gills, 1 on each side; isthmus moderate; gill rakers small. 

 Oviparous, the egg cases long, elliptical, with silky filaments. Genera 4, 

 (the following and Callorhynchus); species about 7. Fishes of singular 

 appearance, found only in the seas of the cold regions. Numerous 



