CHONOPHORUS 213 



The elongate body strongly compressed on sides, even in 

 spawning females, the posterior half of body especially flattened 

 laterally ; the dorsal profile moderately arched, the ventral profile 

 nearly horizontal; the depth from 4 to 4.4 times in length in 

 males, 3.7 to 3.8 times in females; the broad short head wider 

 than trunk, with boldly convex snout, and contained 4 to 4.2 

 times in length; the snout rounded, the anterior part nearly or 

 quite vertical, 2.8 to 3.25 times in head; the eyes high up, 

 dorsolateral, 5 to 5.8 times in head, 1.6 to 1.8 times in snout, 

 and 1.16 to 1.6 times in the full interorbital, which is ordinarily 

 arched and 3.6 to 4.2 times in head; the mouth rather small, 

 slightly oblique, the jaws equal, the lower jaw rather thin and 

 weak, the upper lip protractile; the posterior angle of maxillary 

 may extend from as far as beneath front margin to center of 

 eye, or even a little beyond ; four or five rows of minute to small, 

 more or less hooked teeth in each jaw, the outer row more or 

 less enlarged in males; a large pore behind middle of eye at 

 origin of supraopercular groove and one near middle of posterior 

 margin of preopercle; the scales before first dorsal become 

 smaller anteriorly; the sides of head, snout, and interorbital 

 naked, except for a few small cycloid scales present on upper 

 part of opercle, and a few small scales on posterior part of 

 preopercle; the tips of first dorsal spines threadlike and more 

 or less elongated, in females never equal to depth and usually 

 their length not more than 0.8 of depth; in males the tips of 

 third, fourth, and fifth spines may be very much elongated, up 

 to 1% times depth ; the second dorsal elevated, the posterior rays 

 longest and forming an acute angle which extends upon caudal 

 when depressed, the longest rays 0.8 to 0.86 as long as first 

 dorsal in males and equal to or longer than first dorsal in 

 females; the anal resembles second dorsal, which it almost or 

 sometimes equals in height; the pectoral of moderate breadth, 

 rounded in males, more pointed in females, equal to or a little 

 more or less than head in length ; the ventrals broad, with a wide 

 frenum forming a large deep vacuum cup for adhesion, about 

 equal to pectorals in females but falling far short of reaching 

 anus ; the ventrals perceptibly longer in males, extending to anus 

 or beyond; the caudal peduncle very much flattened laterally, 

 rather narrow to moderately wide, its depth varying from less 

 than 0.5 to 0.75 the length of head, and 1.25 to 1.6 in its own 

 length; the large caudal round pointed, its length about twice 

 that of head in males and approximately 1.3 to 1.4 times head 



