208 Mr. A. Alcock on the BathyUal Fishes 



Family Gobiidae. 

 GoBius, Artedi. 

 11. Gohius cometes, sp. n. (PL VIII. fig. 2.) 

 Tissues fragile ; all the fins elongate. 



B. 5. D. 6/10 (11). A. 10 (11). L. lat. 23-24. 

 L. tr. 5-6. C. 18-20. P. 23. V. 1/5. 



Head with thin bones and inflated branchial region ; its 

 length about one fourth of the total, caudal included, three 

 eighths greater than its height and almost twice its breadth. 

 Maximum body-height about one sixth of the total length, 

 caudal included. 



Snout truncated, its breadth much greater than its length, 

 which is two thirds the major diameter of the eye. Eyes 

 large, their major diameter being contained 3| times in the 

 head-length ; they are situated far forwards, on the top of the 

 head, but with lateral visual axis, and are separated by a 

 narrow shallow groove. Mouth with very oblique cleft ; the 

 maxilla reaches the vertical through the middle of the eye, 

 and the mandible is hardly prominent ; in each jaw an inner 

 band of villiform teeth, and an outer regular row of uniformly 

 enlarged, acute, slightly curved teeth ; tongue large and 

 fleshy. Gill-covers large, the suboperculum much larger 

 than the operculum ; gill-lam inse broad ; gill-rakers small 

 and weak. Scales large (0"23 inch in the vertical, 0*18 inch 

 in the antero-posterior diameter), very finely ctenoid ; they 

 cover the crown of the head as far as the eyes, leaving only 

 the cheeks and opercles scaleless ; there are five or six rows 

 of scales between the second dorsal and the anal fins. 



All the fins are elongated ; the second and third dorsal spines 

 are about half as long as the head ; the rays of the feathery 

 second dorsal and anal increase in length from before back- 

 wards as far as the antepenultimate ray, which is a good deal 

 longer than the head. The caudal is long and pointed, its 

 longest rays, which are on the dorsal aspect, are one third 

 the total length. The ventrals are united, but are not adherent 

 to the abdomen ; their length is a little greater than the 

 height of the body. Pectorals with a long fleshy base, their 

 longest (middle) rays are nearly equal to the length of the 

 head. 



Intestine short ; anal papilla long and slender. A large 

 thin- walled air-bladder is present. Vertebree 11/13. 



Colours in life: — Transparent grey, with seven broad bright- 

 yellow cross bands not quite reaching the abdominal raphe, 



