180 University of California Puhlications. [Zoolog-t 



Family PLAGYODONTID^. 



42. Plagyodus ferox (Lowe). 

 (Alepisaurus asculapius, Jordan and Everniann, 1896, I, p. 595^ 



fig. 258.) 



A specimen 48 inches in length in the collection of the San 

 Diego Natural History Society. 



Head 5% in length to base of caudal ; depth at occiput equal 

 to length of snout. Eye between adipose eyelids Bi/o in head ; 

 snout to edge of adipose eyelid 2y-^ ; maxillary 1% ; mandible ll^ ;. 

 interorbital space 214 in snout; dorsal 37; anal about 16 (some- 

 rays missing) ; ventral 11, counting a very short first ray. 



Snout pointed; jaws equal. INIaxillary not free, the skin of 

 side of head continuous over it ; it ends at corner of mouth, which 

 is one diameter of pupil distant from preopercular ridge. All 

 teeth inclined backward; 2 enlarged teeth at front of mandi])le on 

 each side ; the anterior one a little more than half the size of the- 

 other. Behind them 4 or 5 small sharp canines, their length 

 about a third of diameter of pupil; then 2 or 3 (2 on one side, 3" 

 on the other) stout, sharp canines, which are the largest in the 

 lower jaw, their length nearly half the diameter of eye; following- 

 are 11 short, triangular teeth like the teeth of a saw ; their poste- 

 rior edges nearly verticle, their anterior edges obliciue. Premax- 

 illary with a row of very small sharp canines anteriorly, which 

 grow gradually much smaller posteriorly. No vomerine teeth. A 

 large canine on palatine situated under a point half way between 

 tip of snout and front of eye ; a larger similar one under a point 

 at posterior seventh of snout ; behind them a toothless space back 

 to below antei ior orbital rim, followed by 8 or 10 saw-like teeth 

 similar to those on lower jaw. Skin of side of head in front of" 

 preorbital ridge thin, smooth, and without ridges or wrinkles. 



A line of pores runs down across cheek from top of head, 

 turning forward beneath eye and running half way to tip of 

 snout. Opercle and subopercle with sharp conspicuous ridges, 

 radiating from points at their anterior edges, a faint indication 

 of stria^ following posterior outline of bones. Mandible with sim- 

 ilar ridges diverging backward from a point at tip of dentary„ 



