Berycoidei 467 
are yet known as fossils from North America. Sphenocephalus, 
with four anal spines, is found in the chalk, as are also species 
of Acrogaster and Pycnosterinx, these being the earliest of fishes 
with distinctly spiny fins. 
The Trachichthyide are deep-sea fishes with short bodies, 
cavernous skulls, and rough scales. The dorsal is short, with 
a few spines in front. The suborbitals are very broad, often 
covering the cheeks, and the anal fin is shorter than the dorsal, 
a character which separates these fishes from the Berycide, in 
Fie. 369.—Hoplopteryx lewesiensis (Mantell), restored. English Cretaceous 
Family Berycide. (After Woodward.) : 
which group the anal fin is very long. The belly has often 
a serrated edge, and the coloration is red or black, the black 
species being softer in body and living in deeper water. Species 
of Hoplostethus, notably Hoplostethus mediterraneus, are found 
in most seas at a considerable depth. Trachichthys, a genus 
scarcely distinguishable from Hoplostethus, is found in various 
seas. The genus Paratrachichthys is remarkable for the anterior 
position of the vent, much as in Aphredoderus. Species occur 
in Japan and Australia. Gephyroberyx, with the dorsal fin 
notched, is known from Japan (G. japonicus) and Madeira (G. 
darwint). 
We may also refer to the Trachichthyide certain species 
of still deeper waters, black in color and still softer in texture, 
with smaller scales which are often peculiar in form. These 
constitute the genera Caulolepis, Anoplogaster, Melamphaés, 
