1890.] SPECIKS OF FISHES FROM MADEIRA. 45/ 



Two specimens of this little fish were found lying on the sandj' 

 beach near what is known as the "Fossil Bed" at the east end of 

 Madeira bj' the Rev. Padre Ernesto Schmitz, Director of the Semi- 

 nario, Funchal, and one of the specimens is now in the British 

 Museum. The following are the dimensions : — 



millim. 



Length without caudal 51 



Height, pectoral i-egion 11 



Head, length 14 ; thickness 6 



Pectorals, length 7 : distance of base from snout 15 



First dorsal, height 7 ; length of base 7 



First dorsal, distance from snout 21 



Second dorsal, distance from first 10 



Ventrals, length 9 ; distance of root from root of 



pectorals 5 



Anal, height 6 ; length of base 8 



Anal, distance from snout 30 



Caudal, length 13 ; lowest height of tail 5 



4. SCOPELUS PUSILLUS, sp. n. 



D. 9. V. 5 or 6. A. ca. 7. M. B. 6. 



Small, compressed, moderatelj^ elongate ; the height compared 

 with the length (without the caudal fin) being as 1 to 5|. Black; 

 scales cycloid, about 32 in the side and 7 or 8 in the height. There 

 is no trace of silver spots on the head or body. 



Head scaleless, not cubic or striate, top rounded ; snout very short, 

 profile not steep. Compared with the length of the fish (without 

 the caudal) the head is as 1 to 4|. Eye oval, of moderate size, not 

 reaching the profile, compared with length of head as 1 to 3i. It is 

 placed near the upper jaw and about half a diameter from the tip 

 of the snout. Bictus very long, extending much beyond the eyes 

 and being nearly equal to seven eighths of the length of the head. 

 The upper border of the mouth is formed by the premaxillaries, which 

 are only slightly dilated posteriorly. The styliform maxillaries lie 

 behind. The inside of the mouth is black, and it is copiously 

 furnished with teeth. In the lower jaw there is a band of minute 

 glassy teeth in about four rows. In the front of the upper jaw 

 there is a single row of similar teeth with a band of 2-3 rows 

 on each side behind. The palatines cari-y a narrow band of minute 

 teeth, and on each entopterygoid is a long broad band of teeth. 

 On the pharyngeals are broad patches of teeth, and on the vomer about 

 6 teeth. A narrow band of very minute teeth runs along the middle 

 of the tongue, expanding into an oval patch behind, where the teeth 

 are longer and subulate. At each side of the tongue there are short 

 transverse series of minute teeth with a longer subulate one in 

 each series. Lastly, the gill-rakers are rough with teeth. 



The short dorsal is placed near the middle of the back over the 

 space between the ventrals and the anal. It is higher anteriorly 

 than behind, and there are about nine rays. There is no second 



