Jordan and Ever mann.-^- Fishes of North America. 2083 



duncle depressed, 6-hedral. The thin, sharp, curved spines present on 

 all the ridges; on the dorsolateral and superior lateral series, from 

 head to caudal; on the inferior lateral series, from opposite front end 

 of first dorsal to base of caudal; and on ventrolateral series, from base 

 of pectorals to a short distance in front of anal; 2 pairs of plates 

 between last ray of second dorsal and first median plate, and 2 pairs 

 between last anal ray and first median plate; about 23 oval, striated 

 plates with raised centers on breast; no plates on branchiostegal mem- 

 brane; 2 or 3 anteriorly on under side of mandible; a small plate or 

 none in front of pectorals. Membrane behind vent with 6 to 9 small 

 plates arranged in pairs, none between ventrals and vent. Head de- 

 pressed, its depth ?, of width, the latter (across preopercles) 7 in length of 

 body ; snout short, blunt. Orbits large, oval, the vertical diameter 

 of the longitudinal diameter, the latter 2| in head; 3 to 5 small, back- 

 wardly directed spines in a slightly curved line on eyeball just above 

 pupil. Interorbital space very narrow, 7 in head, deeply concave, with 

 2 minute longitudinal ridges. Supraocular ridges with 1 spine, the 

 poorly developed occipital ridges with 2, of which the anterior is much 

 the smaller; the interrupted suborbital ridge close under orbit, well 

 developed, with 2 spines on suborbital and 1 on preopercle; no plates on 

 lower part of cheek, which enters ventral surface of head; nasal spines 

 sharp, fur apart; median rostral plute small, its lateral expansions em- 

 bedded in the skin, a single, small, median, curved, upright spine. Max- 

 illary reaching slightly beyond front of orbit; lower jaw a very little 

 included; well developed teeth in several rows on jaws, vomer, and 

 palatines. A single long barbel at tip of maxillary ; a small pair at ends 

 of the terminal mucous pore, near the tip of lower jaw, and another just 

 behind this at the edge of the next pore, the former sometimes, the latter 

 frequently, bifid or a pair on each side. Dorsals fairly separated; second 

 dorsal higher than first; anal beginning about 1 plate in front of second 

 dorsal; pectorals 6 in length of body, their base nearly 3 in their length, 

 with 14 or 15 rays, the lower exserted, separated by a notch from the 

 upper rays in adult, the 3 or 4 uppermost of these as long as or longer than 

 the longest upper rays; ventrals of female a little less than long diameter 

 of orbit, as long as those of male; caudal broad and short, its width at 

 base a little more than 2 in its length. Lateral line with 39 or 40 pores; 

 the plates small, spineless. Color, dusky olive, light below, the back 

 with 5 or 6 faint darker cross bars; axillary region blackish, soft dorsal 

 and caudal with the rays black ; spinous dorsal with a conspicuous jet- 

 black margin; pectorals somewhat dusky above; ventrals pale in both 

 sexes. Total length reaches 7 inches. Deep waters of the North Pacific; 

 coast of Oregon to San Diego and outward; abundant in 50 to 204 

 fathoms. Here described from Dr. Gilbert's types, (latus, wide; frons, 

 forehead.) 



Xenochirns latifrons, GILBERT, Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus. 1890, 92, off Coast of Oregon and 

 off San Diego. (Coll. Albatross. ) 



