1932 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



underside of head and body whitish, the breast and anterior part of \>elly 

 more or less silvery; lining of opercle jet-black, the color descending 

 onto the uppermost branchiostegal rays; an ill-defined dark blotch below 

 eye, from which runs a narrow streak along preorbital to front of snout, 

 where it crosses upper lip; lower lip black, except laterally ; uo distinct 

 markings on basal portion of pectorals, a small faint spot at base of its 

 upper rays, and a number of very faint bars sometimes visible in females; 

 ma Irs with 2 conspicuous jet-black bars crossing terminal half of the lower 

 thickened pectoral rays; tips of the narrow caudal lobes jet-black, no 

 other markings visible. Aleutian Islands; several specimens, from 115 to 

 245 mm. long, from stations south of Sannak and north of Unimak islands, 

 at depths of 38 to 50 fathoms. (Gilbert.) (forficatm, deeply forked, like 

 shears.) 



Elanura forficata, GILBERT, Kept. U. S. Fish Comm. 1893 (1896), 430, pi. 30, fig. 1, Aleutian 

 Islands, at Albatross Stations 3213, 3214, and 3222, in 38 to 50 fathoms. 



724. MELLETES, Bean. 

 Melletes, BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1879, 354. (papilio). 



Body moderately elongate. Head broad, depressed, rounded in front, 

 naked, with several cutaneous flaps; jaws, vomer, and palatines with 

 bands of villiform teeth; preopercular spines simple, rather strong; gill 

 membranes broadly connected, free from the isthmus ; a slit behind the 

 last gill; a narrow band of ctenoid scales along sides of back, meeting in 

 front of dorsal; a few prickles on anterior parts of body, and some small 

 dermal flaps on sides; skin otherwise naked; dorsals connected; the 

 spiuous dorsal long, not emarginate; pectorals well developed, the rays all 

 simple ; ventrals very long, I, 4, the inner surface of the rays armed with 

 stiff seta3; pyloric ca?ca 6; no air bladder. Alaska. ( f.ieXXrjTi'^ y a 

 loiterer; remaining in shallow pools as the tide recedes.) 



2306. MELLETES PAPILIO, Beau. 



Head 2f ; branchiostegals 6. D. XI-I, 20; A. 17; C. 11 (deA^eloped rays) ; 

 P. 17 ; V. I, 4. Body moderately elongate, rather slender, somewhat com- 

 pressed posteriorly; narrow band of scales close to its dorsal outline, 

 otherwise naked, with the exception of a few prickles on sides. Head 

 naked ; 2 small cutaneous appendages on chin, 1 near the end of each 

 maxillary, 2 above eyes, 2 on the vertex, and 1 near the upper angle of 

 each gill opening; branchiostegal membrane free from the isthmus poste- 

 riorly. The greatest height of body is its length, and equals the length 

 of the external caudal rays, its height at the ventrals contained 4 times 

 in length. The least height of tail equals the distance between eyes and 

 the length of the antecedent spine of the second dorsal. The length of 

 the caudal peduncle, measured from the end of the second dorsal to the 

 origin of the middle caudal rays, equals \ the length of the maxillary. 

 Head equals twice the length of the mandible, its greatest width equals 

 the length of the base of the spinous dorsal; distance between eyes 3 



