341 



of the body behind the mandible; the origin of the anal is 

 at the second third. The anterior insertion of the pectoral 

 is over the opercular margin and close to the upper edge of 

 the body, below the disc; the fin is rounded in shape, and 

 its length is two-thirds the width of the disc. TJie caudal 

 is M^ell developed, and its margin is quite straight when 

 extended. The cleft of the mouth extends three-fourths the 

 distance from the tip of the Tnandible to the orbit and the 

 lower jaw, which is narrow, projects beyond the upper, a 

 distance equal to the diameter of the orbit. The two nostrils 

 on each side are virtually in contact, immediately above the 

 angle of the mouth, but distant therefrom a little more than 

 from the upper edge of the head ; the anterior nostril has a 

 low rim. Gills four, the first only being double, a long slit 

 behind the fourth, gill-rakers moderate and slender, 14 on 

 the lower limb of the first arch and four tubercles on the 

 ascending limb ; no pseudobranchiae. 



Teeth. — The teeth are set in broad villiforni bands, 

 slightly separated in front, the upper bands are widest at 

 some distance from the mid-line and lie outside the narrow 

 lower jaw when the mouth is closed; the lower bands are 

 widest in front, and extend forward beyond the upper jaw, 

 which is subtruncated ; the outermost series of teeth in each 

 jaw is the largest, and the teeth are directed outwards. The 

 bands of the vomerine and palatine teeth together form an 

 almost continuous gothic arch-like figure, those on the pala- 

 tines beinor the broader ; the tono^ue is edentulous. 



Scales. — The body is everywhere dotted with minute 

 pits containing microscopic scales of ovoid shape; the lateral 

 line is concurrent with the upper edge of the body below the 

 disc from its origin to the end of the pectoral fin, whence it 

 descends to the mid-line of the body, and runs straight to 

 the caudal peduncle, where it again rises slightly, to be lost 

 at the base of one of the rays. 



Colour. — The colour when fresh was uniform dark 

 slaty-blue, the edges of the fins a little lighter, the disc was 

 brown. 



Length. — 472 mm. (18| inches). 



The follov/ing details of the capture of the sucker fish 

 are kindly supplied by Capt. E. H. Hipkins, master of the 

 tug "Falcon": — ''On April 27, 1915, while removing the 

 coal lighter from the Norwegian steamer 'Rena,' outward 

 bound from Europe, the fish was, I believe, disturbed from 

 the side of the vessel by the wash of our propeller, for I 

 first noticed it swimming from the 'Kena' on the surface of 

 the water towards us. After berthing the hghter we tried 

 to catch the fish, but though we got it into the net the latter 



