1862 Bulletin //, United States National Museum. 



2255. ANOPLOPOMA FIMBRIA (Pallas). 



(BESHOW; COAL-FISH; SKIL.) 



Head 3|; depth 6. D. XXI-17; A. Ill, 15; lateral line 190; eye 7 iii 

 head; snout 3; fourth dorsal spine 3 ; longest dorsal ray 3 ; longest anal 

 ray 3i; pectoral 1^-; ventrals 2; upper caudal lobe 1-!%. Body elongate, 

 little compressed, tapering into a very slender subcylindrical, caudal pe- 

 duncle; head rather large, conic. Mouth terminal, moderate, the lower 

 jaw included; maxillary narrow, reaching to below front of pupil; teeth 

 cardiforni, in moderate bands on jaws, vomer, and palatines; interorbital 

 over twice as broad as eye, very slightly convex; gill rakers moderate, 

 slender, 6+17 ; head entirely scaly ; fins naked. Dorsals and anal high- 

 est in front; origin of spinous dorsal behind base of pectorals, midway 

 between tip of snout and first ray of second dorsal, the fourth spine 

 highest, the spines gradually decreasing in length posteriorly; soft dorsal 

 separated from spinous by a distance equal to length of pectoral; anal 

 similar to soft dorsal ; pectoral sharply rounded behind, reaching slightly 

 past tip of anal, not halfway to vent; ventrals rather short, inserted 

 slightly .behind base of pectoral, not reaching nearly to tips of pectorals; 

 caudal forked. Color slaty black or grayish, somewhat reticulated ; white 

 below, the young rather pale; adult nearly black; ventrals and anal 

 colorless, other fins dusky ; caudal edged with pale ; lining of opercle black. 

 Usual length 18 inches, but sometimes much larger. Here described from 

 a specimen 11 inches in length from Monterey. Monterey to Unalaska ; 

 rather common, especially northward. A very singular and interesting 

 fish. It is rarely used for food southward, being rather dry and tasteless. 

 About the Straits of Fuca it becomes very fat and is highly appreciated. 

 (fimbria,j fringe.) 



Gadusfimbria, PALLAS, Zoogr. Rosso- Asiat., m, 200, 1811, no exact locality given ; probably 



Aleutian Islands. 



Anoplopoma merlangus, AYEES, Proc. Cal. Ac. Sci. 1859, 27, San Francisco market. 

 Scombrocottus salmoneus, PETERS, Berlin. Monatsber. 1872, 569, Vancouver Island. 

 Anoplopoma fimbria, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 650, 1883. 



697. ERILEPIS, Gill. 



Erilepis, GILL, Science, Jan. 26, 1894, 54 (zonifer) . 



Myriolepis, LOCKINGTON, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1880, 248 (zonifer) ; name preoccupied by 

 Hyriolepis, EGERTON, 1864, a genus of fossil fishes. 



Body oblong, somewhat compressed. Head heavy. Mouth moderate, 

 the lower jaw slightly projecting; both jaws with bands of slender, sharp 

 teeth, the front teeth slightly enlarged; similar teeth on vorner and pala- 

 tines; preopercle entire; no dermal flaps. Nostrils 2 on each side. Gill 

 rakers short; gill membranes very narrowly joined to the isthmus. 

 Scales small, ctenoid, everywhere covering the head and body and the 

 soft parts of most of the fins. Lateral line single. Dorsal fin deeply 

 emarginate, the spines about 15 in number. Anal rather short, without 

 distinct spines, (epi, an intensive particle; lexis, scale,) 



