854 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Family CXVI. POLYMIXIID^. 

 (THE BARBUDOS.) 



Body rather elongated and compressed ; scales not serrated ; lateral 

 line continuous with back ; head compressed, and with a decurved pro- 

 file ; preoperculum serrated ; mouth with a lateral and nearly horizontal 

 cleft; teeth villiform, on both jaws and on palate; branchiostegal aper- 

 tures large, the gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus ; branchi- 

 ostegals 4 ; dorsal moderately elongated, with several spines, increasing 

 backward ; anal opposite the posterior portion of dorsal, armed with 3 

 or 4 spines ; pectorals with branched rays ; ventral fins thoracic, each 

 with a spine and 6 or 7 rays. Vertebrae in increased number (29). The 

 family is distinguished by the combination of chin barbels, increased 

 number of rays, and small number of branchiostegals. Its affinities are 

 doubtful, but on the whole seem to be rather with the Mullidce. (Gill.) 

 The increased number of ventral rays and the structure of the fins seem 

 to point to Berycoid rather than Percoid affinities. For this reason we 

 leave the Polymixiicla; near the Berycidce, and place the Mullidce next to it. 



A single genus, with 1 to 3 species, inhabiting rather deep waters 

 in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific. (Beryddw, genus Polymixia, Giin- 

 ther, Cat., 1, 17, 1859.) 



384. POLYMIXIA, Lowe. 

 (BARBUDO., 



Polymixia, LOWE, Trans. Cambr. Phil. Soc., 1838, 198, (nobilis). 



Nemobrama, VALENCIENNES, Berber-Webb & Berthelot, Ich. lies Canar., 40, 1844, (webbii). 



Dinemus, POEY, Memorias, n, 160, 1860, (venuslus). 



Characters of the genus included above, (irohvc, many; /ai^if, mixing; 

 a mixture of the characters of many groups.) 



1243. POLYMIXIA LOWEI, Guiither. 



Head 3; depth 31; eye 3-. D. V, 30; A. Ill, 16; scales 50. Anterior 

 profile slightly convex, but descending rapidly from eye to snout ; pos- 

 terior profile gradually descending to the caudal fin ; lower profile nearly 

 straight between snout and anal fin. Snout short, obtuse, lower jaw 

 overlapped hy the upper. Interorbital width 4 in head, covered with 

 scales to near the anterior margin of the eyes. Cleft of mouth wide, 

 maxillary reaching to behind eye, ending in a broad plate with a convex 

 posterior edge and a concave superior and inferior one. Lower jaw with 

 a slight prominence in front. Eye placed high; suborbital less than 

 diameter of eye. Opercles without spines; these and the subopercles 

 densely scaled. Origin of dorsal midway between snout and base of 

 caudal, the fifth spine about half as long as the first ray, which is the 

 longest; the following rays become shorter and shorter to the seven- 

 teenth, the remaining ones being short and nearly equal in length. Cau- 

 dal fin deeply forked, with pointed and equal lobes; anal fin similar to 

 the dorsal in shape, but shorter and lower ; the third spine about i of 



