MICEACANTHUS,— AXABA:S'T1D,E. 47 



1. MICRACANTHUS. 



Sauv. Bull. Soc. Philom. (7) iii. 1878, p. 95, and N. Arcb. Mus. (2) iii. 1880, 

 p. 37. 



Body rounded, elongate, covered with moderately large strongly 

 ctenoid scales ; no lateral line. Mouth rather small, with small teeth. 

 Bones of head not serrated ; no opercular spines. Dorsal fin short, 

 with 3 spines; anal long, with 4 spines. Yentral fins a little behind 

 vertical of base of pectoral, with a feeble spine and 5 soft rays. 



Ogowe. 



1. MICHArAXTHUS MAKCHII. 

 Sii.uv. tt. cc. p[>. 90, 38, pi. iii. fi"'. i. 



Depth of body equal to length of head, o^ times in total length. 

 Snout hardly as long as eye, which is 4 times in length of head ; 3 series 

 of scales on the cheek. Dorsal III 7 ; spines very short, longest soft 

 rays about as long as head. Anal IV 23 ; rays increasing in length 

 posteriorly. Pectoral a little shorter than head. Outer soft ray of 

 ventral produced. Caudal rounded. Caudal peduncle miich deeper 

 than long. Scales in 35 longitudinal and 9 transverse series. Uniform 

 brown. 



Total length 45 millim. 



Ogowe. — Type, in Paris Museum, examined. 



The type of this family, Osphromenus olfax, Cuv., has been accli- 

 matised in Mauritius. It is remarkable for its large size (up to 500 

 millim.), its deep compressed body, the much produced, filamentous 

 outer soft ray of the ventral, and the presence of 11 to 13 dorsal and 

 9 to 1:^ anal spines. 



Fam. 13. AXABANTIDJ^. 



A superbranchial respiratory organ, situated in a cavity above the 

 gills, Mouth protractile, the maxillaries excluded from the oral 

 border; palate toothed. Suborbitals with internal laminse, supporting 

 the eye ; lower pharyngeal bones large, united, Avith persistent suture ; 

 gill-membranes grown to isthmus ; 4 branchiostegal rays ; two nostrils 

 on each side. Dorsal and anal tius long, with nun.erous spines. Ventral 



