Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 737 



1087. EXOCCETUS FURCATUS, Mitchill. 



Head 4|; depth 5. D. 13; A. 9; lateral line with about 46 scales. 

 Body rather slender, compressed. Head not very broad, much narrowed 

 forward ; the snout rather pointed ; more compressed than in other 

 species. Interorbital area flat , its width at anterior margin of orbit equal 

 to diameter of eye; 3 in head; at posterior margin of eye this is half 

 greater. Mouth small ; maxillary not reaching orbit ; length of maxillary 

 4f in head ; length of mandible 2i in head ; length of snout 4^ in head ; 

 eye 3 in head. Pectoral fin long and broad ; its length If in length of 

 body ; tips of pectorals reaching to tenth ray of dorsal. First pectoral 

 ray simple, slightly more than half length of fin ; second ray divided ; 

 third and fourth rays longest. Origin of ventrals midway between pos- 

 terior margin of eye and last caudal vertebra. Ventrals long, 2 in length 

 of body ; their tips reaching past anal and almost to caudal fin. Dorsal 

 fin rather high, its longest ray li in head; longest anal ray about 2 in 

 head. Origin or dorsal in advance of that of the anal. Base of anal If 

 in base of dorsal ; base of dorsal nearly equal to length of head. Lower 

 lobe of caudal 3 in body. About 23 scales on lateral line before ventrals, 

 and about 29 in front of dorsal fin. Eight rows of scales between lateral 

 line and dorsal fin. Color brownish above, silvery below ; pectoral fins 

 black on lower posterior half; a broad white band running from axil 

 obliquely back to the posterior of upper rays ; some white on tips of pec- 

 toral rays ; anterior upper portion of the fin somewhat marbled ; ven- 

 tral fins black, except on 2 outer rays, on inner ray, and a small spot on 

 next 2 inner rays, about i distance from origin of fin ; axil of ventrals 

 pale. Dorsal fin, when depressed, showing 3 black spots ; caudal fin with 

 3 dark tranverse bands across fin ; a black spot on tips of third, fourth, 

 fifth, and sixth rays of anal fin. Length 6 inches. Warm seas, north to 

 Cape Cod and to the Mediterranean, generally common. Young speci- 

 mens with barbels of different forms and sizes are frequently taken. The 

 specimens above described from Newport, Rhode Island, (furcatm, 

 forked.) 



Exocaetm furcatus, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y., i, 1815, 149, young, with barbel; 



New York; GUXTHER, Cat., vi, 286, 1866; L^TKEN, Vid. Medd. Naturh. Foren., 400, 1876; 



JORDAN & MEEK, I. c., 61. 

 Exoccetiis nnttalli, LE SUEUR, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1821, 10, pi. iv, fig. 1, Gulf of Mexico; 



GUNTHER, Cat., vi, 286, 1866. 

 Exoccetus (Cypselurus) procne, DE FILIPPIE VERANY, Mein. Acad. Sci. Torino, series 2, xvm, 1857, 



10, Nice. 

 Exoccetus maculipinnis, VINCIGUERRA, Risultati Ittiologici del Violante, pi. i, fig. 6, 113, 1883, 



Tunis. 

 Cypselurus furcatus, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 380, 1883. 



1088. EXOC<ETUS NIGRICANS, Bennett. 



Head 4 in body ; depth 5f ; snout 4 in head ; eye 3. D. 14 ; A. 9 or 10; 



scales about 52, 27 before the ventral fins, 26 in front of dorsal. Anal 



fin short, its base i to length of base of dorsal, its insertion behind 



first ray of dorsal ; its rays 9 or 10; second ray of pectoral divided (first 



F. N. A. 48 



