54 



ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE. 



and so closely united to each other as well as to the first soft ray, as to be scarcely obvious 

 except upon dissection ; all the soft rays, except the first, branched. Space between the anal 

 and caudal not a tenth part of the whole length. Caudal slightly notched, or hollowed out 

 with rows of scales between the rays. Pectorals pointed, about three-fourths the length of the' 

 head, with the seventh and eighth rays longest ; rows of scales at the base between the rays- 

 m their axillae a somewhat projecting vertical scale or lamina, as in the last species. Ventrals 

 immediately beneath the pectorals, also pointed, but shorter. 

 Colour.-" Above, and the fins, obscure greenish; sides obscure coppery, passing on the belly 

 into salmon-colour. Pectorals edged with dull blue. Iris yellowish brown: pupil black- 

 blue."— D.— The skin has dried to a nearly uniform brown. 



Habitat, Chatham Island, Galapagos Archipelago. 



I feel but little hesitation in referring this species, which is one of the many 

 new ones obtained by Mr. Darwin in the Galapagos Archipelago, to the genus 

 Latilus. The absence of vomerine and palatine teeth requires it to be placed 

 according to Cuvier's views, among the Scicenid* ; in which family, there is no 

 other group besides Latilus, to which it makes any approach. It agrees with 

 that genus in its general form, and in many of its particularities; it has the same 

 form of snout, mouth, maxillary, and dentition; the same scaly lamina in the 

 axilla of the pectorals; the same long undivided dorsal and anal fins, with only 

 two very small anal spines, so closely united to the first soft ray as to be easily 

 overlooked. But it may be at once distinguished from the L. argentatus and the 

 L. dohatus, the only two species described by Cuvier and Valenciennes in the 

 body of their work, by its much more numerous soft rays in the dorsal and anal 

 fins. From the L.jugularis last described, which resembles it in this respect it 

 differs in its thoracic ventrals, shorter head, naked snout and suborbital, and 

 notched caudal : the profile also falls less obliquely. There is only one specimen 

 in the collection, a dried skin and rather injured. 



Heliases Crusma. Vol. 



Heliases Crusma, Cm. et Vol. Hist, des Poiss. torn. ix. p. 377. 



FoEM.-Oval, very much compressed. Back considerably elevated, particularly at the nape, whence 

 the profile descends very obliquely, and, with the exception of a slight concavity before the 

 eyes in nearly a straight line. Greatest depth at the commencement of the dorsal, equalling 

 nearly half the entire length, caudal excluded. Head contained four and a half times in the 

 same. Snout short: mouth small, a little protractile : lower jaw rather the longest. A narrow 



