322 Zoological Society : — 



is found on the palatines, and a chevron- shaped patch on the vomer. 

 The thick tongue is toothless in front ; but behind there is a narrow 

 band of small teeth along the middle as far as the branchiae extend. 

 On the entopterygoids there are large oval patches of minute teeth. 

 On the outermost free branchial arch are long rakers, of which one 

 edge is set with a band of minute teeth ; and on its hinder surface is 

 a series of short rakers, the apices of which bear numerous minute 

 teeth. The other branchial arches bear short stout rakers, which 

 have teeth at their ends ; and the hinder faces of these arches have 

 similar processes to those of the first arch. 



The tongue, the mouth, and the insides of the gill- covers are 

 bluish black. The gill-openings are large. The delicate branchio- 

 stegal membrane is supported by nine rays, of which the first is hair- 

 like, and the last very broad, with a raised posterior edge. The^r*^ 

 dorsal fin has a trapezoidal shape, and is placed well forward over 

 the ventral fins. The four first rays are unbranched, and the first 

 of these is very short. The longest ray is the fifth, and this is about 

 two-thirds the length of the head. The second dorsal fin is adipose 

 and scaleless ; it is placed over the hinder part of the anal fin. The 

 pectoral fins are longer than the ventral fins. They have about 

 two-thirds of the height of the fish above their bases, and they reach 

 back beyond the end of the first dorsal fin, but not quite so far as the 

 vent. Their inferior rays are not thicker than the rest. The ab- 

 dominal ventral fins have stout rays, and the first one is unbranched 

 and shorter than the next three, which are about equal to each other. 

 The abdomen is flat between the roots of these fins. The vent is 

 immediately in front of the trapezoidal anal fin, the first ray of which 

 is unbranched and very short ; the fourth ray is the longest. The 

 tail is much compressed. The caudal fin is deeply furcate, spotted 

 with minute black spots, and covered with small scales. 



The distinct lateral line descends rather rapidly from the shoulder; 

 but from the pectoral region it is straight along the middle of the 

 body. The caducous scales which clothe the body are large and re- 

 markably broad, with the exposed margins armed with several rows 

 of small spines. Those of the lateral line are about thirty in number, 

 and in the height of the body ten rows may be counted, viz. four 

 above, and five below the lateral line, which is itself formed of the 

 tenth row. 



Of this species only a single example (now in the British Museum) 

 has occurred, and this was taken in the month of January. Its 

 dimensions are given below : — 



inches. 



Total length \Q^ 



Height, a little in front of first dorsal 2^^ 



Thickness l-g- 



Head 2| 



Eyes, diameter ^ 



, distance apart Y^^j 



Mouth, width behind when open 1 



-, length of upper jaw 1 



