

FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 155 



mencement of the rays, one inch ; at the extremity, when ex- 

 panded, three inches. The upper and lower extremity of the 

 tail, white. 



The fin rays are : D. 29 ; P. 18 ; V. 5 ; A. 30 ; C. 18. 



I think this must be the " naucrates j" it has but twenty-one 

 plates ; but slight variations may undoubtedly occur in this, as 

 well as in the " remora ;" in which, although it is described as 

 having 18 plates, Yarrell's specimen had 17 ; and of two indi- 

 viduals from Cuba, lying before me, one has 18, and the other 

 19 plates. 



E. quatuordecimlaminatus. Nobis. The fourteen plated 



Remora. 



From the only specimen I have met with, which was kindly 

 sent me by Dr. Yale, I am enabled to furnish the following 

 description : 



Entire length, five and a half inches. Body of a light red- 

 dish brown color, rather darker beneath. The lateral line 

 commences at the origin of the pectorals, and making a slight 

 curve over them to their extremities, is continued in a straight 

 line to the tail. Length of the head, one inch three lines ; 

 gill-covers large ; lower jaw two lines longer than the upper j 

 jaws armed with strong, sharp, recurved teeth ; teeth also in 

 the pharynx, upon the palatine bones and the root of the tongue. 

 Gape of the mouth moderate in size. Eye, one line in diame- 

 ter. Top of the head entirely covered by an adhesive disk, 

 which commences at the tip of the upper jaw, and extending 

 on each side to the eyes, terminates on a plane with the poste- 

 rior half of the pectorals, about three lines back of the poste- 

 rior edge of the operculum. This disk is surrounded by a 

 fleshy margin, which is tipped with a darker brown than the 

 color of the body, and is divided in its middle by a longitudi- 

 nal fleshy septum, on each side of which are fourteen distinct, 

 strongly serated laminas. 



The Dorsal fin commences about the middle of the length 

 of the fish, nearly two inches long, two lines high. Its anterior 



