TEUTITIS ELEGANS. 71 



Body and head much compressed, outlines from tlie ^idc suboval, arch of 

 back regular in curvature, and that of the belly more convex at the bases 

 of the ventrals, and more straight along the base of the anal fin ; dejjth 

 nearly four-fifths of the length to the base of the caudal, or two-thirds of 

 the total. Head deeper than long, length one-third of that from snout to 

 base of caudal, width one-fourth of the depth of the body. Compared with 

 that of Tciithis triostegiis L., the shape in this form is more rounded, less 

 elongate; the body is more prominent at the ventrals, straighter along the 

 anal fin, and the armature and the colors are quite different, though the 

 formula of the fin rays is about the same in the two cases. Owing to 

 the differences in colors, dentition, etc., it is not possible, in the absence of 

 intermediate foruis, to identify these specimens with the species described by 

 Linne from India. Snout shorter than the eye, slightly prominent, blunt. 

 Teeth compressed incisors, in single rows, bases narrow, crowns wider 

 and convex ; five of the anterior on each jaw larger, those of the upper 

 series less convex on the crown, which latter bears six sharp subequal cusps, 

 and those of the lower series, more convex on the crown, with five cusps, 

 the median of which is the largest. Behind the upper teeth, toward each 

 angle of the mouth, there are four narrow^ slender teeth, each with three 

 cusps (.some have five), and at the backward end of each lower series there 

 are three similar ones. Eyes large, more than one-ninth of the total 

 length, two-thirteenths of the length to the base of the caudal, five-twelfths 

 of the length of the head. Gills four; pseudobranchite large. 



Flanks and head crossed by file-like ridges, about seventy-five at the 

 lateral line, each siu-mounted by sharp distantly-placed spines, alternating 

 on the different ridges. These spines are grouped clo.se together in threes 

 to sixes on the ends of alternate ridges at the bases of dorsal and anal, 

 where they form protections for the joints of the raAS. More or less 

 regularly, alternate ridges are shorter and end near the fins without a group 

 of spines. The spines are more numerous and closer together on the sides 

 of the caudal region. The post-oral ridges are vertical, the opercidar ridges 

 ascend obliquely backward, those of the crown are longitudinal, and those 

 from the orbit and the occiput converge toward the first dorsal spine. 



First spine of dorsal and of anal short; second longest (that of the 

 dorsal as long as the eye and the snout) and bearing on the anterior edge a 

 series of about nine denticles. First spine of the ventrals strong, smooth- 

 edged. A smooth acicular erectile spine at each side of the caudal pedicel. 



