456 MR. J. Y. JOHNSON ON SOME NEW [JunC 3, 



row of silvery spots aloug the ventral Hue; here there are several 



rows of silvery spots on the sides. 



inillim. 



Length without caudal 110 



Height at root of pectorals .... 20 

 Thickness at root of pectorals . . 12 



Head, length 31 



Premaxillary, leugth 17 



Pectoral fin, length 25 



3. SCOPELUS SCHMITZI, sp. n. 



B. M. 6. 1st D. 12. 2nd D. rudimentary. V. 7. A. 14. 



Oblong, compressed ; height to length without caudal as 1 to 4^. 

 Blackish, reflecting steel-blue from the sides and gill-covers ; a row 

 of small spots behind the vent near the ventral line on each side, 

 a few before the vent, and a few irregularly scattered at the sides 

 of the body. Scales cycloid, finely and concentrically striate. 



Head to length of fish without caudal as 1 to 34. Snout very 

 short. Head and cheeks scaly. Eye round, not quite reaching to 

 the profile, less than half a diameter from the snout and coming 

 nearly up to the maxilla. Diameter of eye to length of head as 1 

 to 3|. A low median crest between the eyes aud along the snout. 

 Posterior margin of opercle projects with a deltoid angle over the 

 root of the pectorals. Inside of mouth aud giU-covers black. Rictus 

 oblique, nearly 11 mm. long, reaching much beyond the orbit and 

 nearly to below the lower angle of the opercle. Upper border of 

 mouth formed entirely of the premaxiUary, which is dentiferous up 

 to its end. 



Teeth minute, curved, sharp, in narrow brush-like bands in both 

 jaws. In the lower jaw the band of teeth is broader than that in 

 the upper jaw, and it is seen outside when the mouth is closed. 

 There are teeth on the palatines and a few minute ones on the 

 vomer; the entopterygoids are rough with points. Minute teeth 

 along middle of tongue expanding posteriorly into a broad patch. 

 The gill-rakers are also armed. 



The first dorsal fin is short : it begins over the root of the ven- 

 trals or slightly in advance ; the base ends a little before the 

 beginning of the anal ; its posterior rays reach back a little beyond 

 the tips of the vcntrals aud as far as the commencement of the anal. 

 The second rudimentary dorsal is very small ; it is placed over the 

 end of the base of the anal. The narrow pointed pectorals are 

 inserted low down and reach back to or a little beyond the base of 

 the ventrals. The ventrals reach back as far as the vent. At the 

 upper angle of the root there is a narrow scale-like loose appendage. 

 The anal fin has 14 rays ; and it begins a little behind the end of 

 the base of the dorsal. The caudal fin is furcate and has about 

 20 rays. 



The lateral line is straight along the middle of the body and tail. 

 There are about 3S scales in its length, and about 5 above aud 5 

 below the lateral line. 



