Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1277 



ous; pterygoid with a broad patch of teeth (in adult); hyoid bones and 

 tongue with teeth ; canines very small or obsolete ; dorsal spines 12, the 

 soft rays 10 or 11 ; gill rakers slender and numerous. 



This genus is closely allied to Neomcenis, but the cranial peculiarities and 

 extension of the villiform teeth over the pterygoid and hyoid bones well 

 warrant generic separation. The form of the vomerine patch of teeth is 

 also somewhat peculiar. But one species is known. (/5o///3oc, rhomb; 

 oTtXiTrft, armed; from the form of the vomeriue patch of teeth.) 



1051. RHOMBOPLITES AURORUBENS (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



(CAQON DE LO ALTO.) 



Head 3; depth 3&. D. XII, 11; A. Ill, 8; scales (7) 10-72-19, 50 pores. 

 Body elongate, irregularly elliptical, the back not greatly elevated, high- 

 est at the nape; profile regularly and strongly convex from above eye to 

 spinous dorsal ; snout rather short and bluntish, 3f in head, its upper pro- 

 file straight and steep; eye very large, 3| in head; interorbital space very 

 convex, 3| in head ; preorbital narrow, its least width 7-J- in head ; mouth 

 small, oblique, the lower jaw somewhat projecting; maxillary scaleless, 

 reaching front of orbit, 24 in head. Upper jaw with a broad band of villi- 

 form teeth, outside of which is a row of enlarged but comparatively small 

 teeth; no canines; lower jaw with one series somewhat stronger than outer 

 teeth of upper jaw; inside of these is a rather broad villiform band of 

 teeth in front of jaw only; tongue with a very broad irregularly ovate 

 patch of teeth, its width almost as great as width of tongue, 1 in its 

 length ; in front of this patch is a large roundish patch of teeth ; an oblong 

 patch of teeth on the hyoid bone; vomer with a rhomboid (^-shaped) 

 patch of teeth, forming almost a right angle in front, with a broadly 

 wedge-shaped backward prolongation on the median line, its length about 

 twice its width; palatine band of teeth very wide; pterygoids with a 

 large patch of teeth, these teeth undeveloped and covered by skin in young 

 examples. Gill rakers numerous, the longest about diameter of eye, 

 about 6-J-21. Preopercle with posterior margin almost straight and 

 vertical, slightly emarginate, weakly serrate above, the teeth coarser at 

 the angle and on lower border. Posterior nostril larger, nearly round. 

 Scales very small, the rows above the lateral line running upward and 

 backward, the rows below rather wavy, almost horizontal ; temporal region 

 covered with small partially embedded scales, in 4 or 5 rows; cheeks with 

 7 rows of scales; 4 rows on interopercle, 3 rows on subopercle, and 7 on 

 opercle; snout, preorbital and jaws naked; top of head scaly to near mid- 

 dle of eye ; soft dorsal and anal with but few scales at base. Dorsal spines 

 long and slender, the fourth spine longest, 2 in head, the length of the 

 spines thence gradually decreasing to twelfth spine, which is 3 in head; 

 margin of soft dorsal truncate, its rays of subequal length, 4 in head, last ray 

 slightly shorter ; caudal deeply forked, the upper lobe longer than lower, 

 its length If times middle rays, which are 2 in head ; upper lobe of caudal 

 scarcely shorter than head; anal similar to soft dorsal, its rays 3 in head ; 

 second anal spine shorter than third, 4 in head; ventrals 1-J- in head; pec- 

 torals somewhat falcate, reaching opposite vent, 1 in head. Color in life, 



