126 MR. J. ¥. JOHNSON ON ALEPISAURUS FEROX. [April 8, 
1. REMARKS ON A SPECIMEN OF ALEPISAURUS FEROX RECENTLY 
OBTAINED AT Maperra. By JAmes YATE JOHNSON, Corr. 
Mem. Z.S. 
Having lately procured a specimen of this rare and interesting fish 
(which I have had the pleasure of presenting to the British Museum), 
I beg leave to lay before the Society the result of my observations 
upon it when in a fresh state. The remarks I shal] make will be 
for the most part supplementary to Mr. E. T. Bennett’s long de- 
scription of another specimen from this locality, printed in the first 
volume of the ‘ Transactions of the Zoological Society *;’ but I hope 
they will be found to have some bearing upon the question of the 
ichthyological position of the genus, which has been placed in no 
fewer than four families by different naturalists. Mr. Lowe, who 
founded the genus on the present species, placed it in Cuvier’s family 
of Tenioides. M. Valenciennes referred the genus to the Salmonide. 
Sir John Richardson, in his article on Ichthyology in the ‘ Encyclo- 
peedia Britannica,’ assigned it, on page 213, to the Sphyrenide, and 
on page 248 to the Scopelide. Lastly, that able ichthyclogist, Dr. 
Giinther, asserts that its natural affinity is decidedly Siluroid (Cat. 
Acanth. Fishes in Brit. Mus. ii. p. 353). A consideration of Mr. Ben- 
nett’s description and of the additional points about to be mentioned, 
some of which appear to have been hitherto overlooked, will lead, I 
think, to the conclusion that the position assigned to this fish by 
Dr. Giinther is the true one. 
The specimen lately obtained is 53} inches long, the head mea- 
suring 73 inches. The height of the body in front of the pectoral 
fin is 4¢ inches. The branchiostegal membrane is supported by 
seven rays, which number may probably be taken as the normal one, 
as it agrees with one of Mr. Lowe’s specimens, the other of which 
had six rays in that membrane. The fish has no barbels, in which 
negative character it resembles the genus Batrachocephalus, a mem- 
ber of the Siluride. The large eye (1} inch in diameter) is sur- 
rounded by an adipose skin, which, on the posterior side, intrudes as 
a transparent veil upon the eye, covering it to the extent of one- 
third. 
The subopercle of which Mr. Bennett spoke appears to be the 
interopercle, which has been extraordinarily developed at the ex- 
pense of the subopercle, the latter being wanting. Both this and 
the operele (which measures 2 inches across) are remarkable for their 
paper-like tenuity and the high radiating striatures on their surfaces. 
The hinder portion of the preopercle forms a strong bony ridge, also 
striated. The coracoid is very broad at its middle, where it is seulp- 
tured with radiating strie like the clavicle. The suprascapular and 
the narrow scapular are longitudinally striated. The strize on all the 
bones are strong. 
The remarkably high first dorsal fin has forty-one rays, and the 
deeply-forked caudal fin nineteen rays, whilst the second dorsal is 
adipose—in these respects agreeing with Mr. Bennett’s description ; 
* See Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. i. p. 395. 
