Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2063 



2414. PODOTHECTJS VETERNUS,* Jordan & Starks. 



Head 3f in length; depth 7-J-. D. IX, 8; A. 8; scales in lateral line 

 38 or 39; pectoral 15; orbit 4J in head; snont 2; upper rays of pectoral 

 1|; highest dorsal spine 2; highest dorsal ray 2f; highest anal ray 2f; 

 caudal 2|. Body elongate, about as wide as deep anteriorly, much wider 

 than deep posteriorly; mouth inferior, the lower jaw shutting far behind 

 the upper; teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines obsolete; a few short bar- 

 bels beneath snout in front of mouth and at angle of mouth, their length 

 about equal to pupil, lower jaw very cavernous. A pair of short, blunt, 

 rostral spines pointing directly forward; at their base and wider apart is 

 a pair of sharp spines curving outward, backward, and upward; at the 

 posterior end of the rather wide rostral groove is a pair of. small spines 

 pointing upward and backward; from their base a pair of diverging 

 ridges run through the interorbital to above posterior margin of orbit ; 

 a strong spine over eye, and a longer one at occiput; a low, sharp ridge 

 ou side of head, running from ocular spine and ending in a low spine at 

 upper end of gill opening; a very low ridge on opercle not ending in a 

 spine; preopeicle with a strong spine with a wide keel-like base; a 

 hooked spine below eye on suborbital, from which a ridge runs along 

 lower edge of preorbital to end of snout, below posterior end of rostral 



* Allied to Podothecus veternus is a Chinese species : 



PODOTHECUS STURIOIDES (Guichenot). 



D. IX, 8 ; A. 10 ; P. 15 ; V. 1, 2. Depth, at nape, 8 in total length. Body elongate, octag- 

 onal in front, much attenuated, and becoming pentagonal behind; everywhere covered 

 with osseous radially striated, keeled plates which are higher than long; the keels with 

 denticulate edges and terminating in baekwardly directed spines, forming 8 longitudinal 

 series, 4 on each side. Breast in front of pectorals and median line of belly armed with 

 smaller polygonal plates with keels or tubercles, but without back wardly directed spines. 

 Snout conical (not divided at tip), forming a strong projection in front of mouth, and 

 somewhat resembling that of the sturgeon, armed at its tip with 2 pairs of spines, the 

 anterior directed forward (?) and the posterior upward and backward; the bony pieces of 

 which it is composed with their edges denticulate, as are the sharp keels of the subor- 

 bitals; a strong backwardly directed spine (closely approximated nasal spines) on middle 

 of snout. Lateral line marked by an interrupted series of small tubulous and osseous 

 elevations, and lies between the 2 adjacent lateral series of plates; commencing at height 

 of shoulder it describes a slightly convex curve and bends a little to run in a straight line 

 to base ot caudal. Mouth a little protractile, with fleshy lips, and situated far behind tip 

 of snout, cleft as far back as front of eye. Lower jaw with extremely fine, velvety teeth ; 

 none on upper jaw nor on vomer or palatines. A group of long, unequal, fleshy filaments 

 or barbels at each angle of upper jaw and under tip of snout; under each branch of lower 

 jaw 2 others, which are excessively small. Eyes large, oval, on line with profile; inter- 

 orbital space a little concave, equal to "transverse" (vertical?) diameter of orbit. A 

 projecting tubercle or spine on posterior upper part of orbit, and another on each side of 

 posterior part of occiput. Dorsals separated by an interval equal to eye; the anterior 

 lunger than posterior ; their form elliptical, their height nearly equal to that of body; 

 their rays slender, flexible at tips, especially those of posterior fin. Pectorals large, 

 nearly as long as head : upper rays a little longer than those next below, decreasing grad- 

 ually to tenth, whence they increase a little and again decrease by degrees to last; 5 lower 

 rays thickest, their tips a little exserted; rays all simple (not branched). Anal commenc- 

 ing under end of first dorsal, which it equals in length and height. Origin of ventrala 

 under base of pectorals; they are small (tips broken in the single individual), apparently 

 of 3 rays. Caudal long, its border rounded, about 8 in total length. Color yellowish 

 brown, paler below, with a very light black punctulation and more or less regular, round 

 brown spots on head and body; spots smaller on back than elsewhere; a spot of same 

 form and color on base of pectorals ; pectoral fins uniform yellow ; dorsals with brown 

 upon rays; a dark border on spinous (dorsal); a dark, narrow band from anterior bor- 

 der of eye to tip of snout. A single specimen, 10 inches long. China. (Guichenot.) 

 Gruichenot's figure gives 1 more ray in anterior dorsal than the description, and gives 

 the caudal fin as strongly concave (sturio, sturgeon; elSos, likeness.) 



Paragonus sturioides, GUICHENOT, Nouvelles Archiv. Museum, 202, pi. XII, fig. 3, China. 



