PRIONOBUTIS 53 



Prionobutis serrifrons RUTTER, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. (1897) 84. 

 Butis serrifrons JORDAN and SEALE, Bull. Bur. Fisheries 26 (1907) 40. 

 Butis koilomatodon JORDAN and RICHARDSON, Bull. Bur. Fisheries 27, 



(1908) 274. 

 Butis caperata SEALE, Philip. Journ. Sci. , D 9 (1914) 74. 



Dorsal VI, 1-8; anal I, 8; scales in lateral series, 28 to 30; 

 in transverse series, 9 or 10. 



The body wedge-shaped, triangular in cross section, with 

 short, deep head and short, blunt snout; the depth contained 



3.5 to 3.6 times, the head barely 3 to 3.2 times in the length; 

 the greatest breadth of head contained 1.25 to 1.35 times, and 

 its depth measured just behind eyes 1.6 to 1.8 times in the 

 length of head; the snout blunt, somewhat elevated anteriorly; 

 eyes contained from 4.3 to 5.4 times in head and from 1.2 to 



1.6 times in snout, which is about 3.4 times in head; above and 

 behind each eye an irregular, bony, serrated ridge; between the 

 ridges is the depressed, flat or slightly concave and scaleless 

 interorbital space, which is equal to or 1.5 times an eye diam- 

 eter; in front of each eye two low serrated ridges which con- 

 verge at the front but do not meet; the region in front of first 

 dorsal is broad, elevated, covered with much smaller scales than 

 those on sides of trunk; the scales on belly and breast also 

 small ; those in front of ventrals are smallest and, unlike those 

 of rest of body, cycloid; small ctenoid scales on base of 

 pectoral, larger ones on opercle, and very small ones on posterior 

 part of upper half of cheek; the anterior part of upper half 

 has three or four short rows of very small papillae extending 

 at right angles to eye, with or without a few minute ctenoid 

 scales between their lower extremities; no scales between the 

 eyes and the crests above them. The mouth strongly oblique, 

 the maxillary not quite reaching a point under front margin 

 of eye; anterior nostril large, with a prostrate tubule which is 

 flaplike behind ; the posterior nostril smaller, with a small valve 

 on each side; in small specimens the maxillary may extend to 

 middle of eye; the depth of caudal peduncle contained from 1.8 

 times to twice in its length. 



The soft dorsal and anal much higher than the spinous dor- 

 sal, the last rays of anal the longest; the ventrals reach almost 

 to anus or beyond it; the large pectorals extend beyond the 

 ventrals, in some cases as far as second or third ray of anal; 

 the caudal rather broad, rounded, its length from 3f to 4 times 

 in head and trunk. 



The color in alcohol yellowish brown, with transverse dark 

 brown crossbars which run diagonally downward and back- 



