640 



MR. C. TATE REGAN ON TELEOSTEAN FISHES [JlUie 18, 



branchife. Teeth are usually feeble or absent, never strong, and 

 the scales, if present, are thin and deciduous or reduced to 

 scattered tubercles. 



Text-fi^. 170. 



Head of Velifer hypseloptems with the mouth closed {a) E.nd protruded {h). 



Division 1. Selenichthyes (Boulenger). 



Body deep, compressed ; skeleton well-ossified ; cranium without 

 cartilage. No anterior cranial chamber ; f rentals normal, in con- 

 tact below with the mesethmoid and orbitosphenoid ; mesethmoid 

 partly between and partly posterior to the prsefrontals ; epiotics 

 separated by the supraoccipital. Yertebrse in moderate number 

 (46); no parapophyses ; ribs strong, sessile. Post-temporal forked ; 

 pectoral fin-rays inserted on the scapula and on 3 pterygials, one 

 of which is in contact with the coracoid ; pelvic bones articulated 

 to the greatly expanded coracoids. Fins without spines, composed 

 entirely of articulated rays ; dorsal and anal fins long ; ventral 

 fins of 15 to 17 rays. 



Family Lampridid^. A single genus, Lampris Retzius. 



Division 2. Histichthyes. 



Body deep, strongly compressed ; skeleton well-ossified, but the 

 cranium with a considerable amount of cartilage. A large anterior 

 cranial chamber, the walls of which are mainly formed by the 

 frontals, the floor by cartilage containing the mesethmoid and 

 orbitosphenoid ossifications ; mesethmoid entirely posterior to the 

 prefrontals ; epiotics separated by the supraoccipital. Vertebrae 

 in moderate number (33) ; ribs strong, attached to well-developed 

 downwardly directed parapophyses. Post-temporal forked; pectoral 

 fin-rays inserted on the scapula and on 4 pterygials, one of which 

 is in contact with the coracoid, which is not expanded; pelvic 



