70 UPPER CRETACEOUS TELEOSTS 
the opening of a completely roofed post-temporal fossa but is more probably the 
posterior portion of an unroofed or partially roofed fossa. 
Jaws and suspensorium. The suspensorium is vertical with the quadrate condyle 
lying below the occipital border. Little of the remainder of the palate could be 
made out except that the palatine appears to support a double series of hollow 
teeth. The palatine is closely associated with the anterior end of the snout and 
was in part supported by the mesethmoid. 
The dermal upper jaw consists mainly of an elongated, shallow premaxilla extend- 
ing from the extreme tip of the snout almost to the rear of the orbit. The pre- 
maxilla appears to contact its partner anteriorly in the mid-line. The lateral surface 
of the premaxilla is ornamented with tuberculated ridges, and the oral margin bears a 
uniform row of minute teeth. The maxilla enters the gape behind the premaxilla as 
a thin splint of bone, bearing a single row of small conical teeth. 
The mandible is elongated and very shallow with the dentary forming the whole of 
the oral border. The lateral face of the mandible is sparsely ornamented and the 
oral edge is covered with many small, acutely pointed, recurved needle-like teeth. 
The articular is more densely ornamented on its lateral face than the dentary and the 
facet for the reception of the quadrate condyle is shallow and ill-defined. 
The preoperculum is upright, narrow and with a slight basal expansion. The 
operculum is large and has a rounded posterior edge, whilst the suboperculum is 
much smaller. There are numerous branchiostegal rays in the region of the sub- 
operculum, but it would appear that the interoperculum was absent. 
Vertebral column and fins. The body is of a characteristic shape, the neck region 
being constricted and of no greater depth than the maximum depth of the head. 
The body widens gradually and attains its maximum depth at the level of the pelvic 
fin. The vertebral column is composed of approximately 70 vertebrae, the individual 
centra are mesially constricted and in the anterior region of the body are longer than 
they are deep. The centra decrease both in height and length as they near the 
caudal extremity. Apart from this little can be said concerning the vertebral 
column due to the complete covering of scales which masks the underlying structures. 
The pectoral fins are positioned quite low down on the flank and appear to consist 
of some 12 rays. The pelvic fins are larger and positioned midway along the body 
beneath the 32nd vertebra, and have about 7 rays, the first of which is unbranched. 
The dorsal fin occupies practically half of the length of the body and is composed of 
64rays. The anal fin is remote in position with 13 rays, opposite the hind end of the 
dorsal fin. The caudal fin is prominent but not deeply cleft and consists of 19 
principal rays and approximately 12 accessory rays. 
Scales. The whole body is covered with a complete coat of small imbricate scales 
which are rhomboidal in shape. Along the course of the lateral line the scales are 
much enlarged, elongate and heart-shaped. Each lateral line scute bears a small 
posteriorly directed spine and an ornamentation of radiating tubercles. There 
might possibly be a second row of enlarged scutes on the body but this is not definite, 
despite Woodward’s (1go1 : 188) statement. 
