FISHES OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
51 
eye to nasal opening 7 inches. From other pieces seen it appears that the color on the dorsal surface 
was a light, gray; ventral surface whitish; skin very rough; mouth evidently inferior. 
These fragments are not sufficient for definite identification. They resemble ifobula japonica (Mul¬ 
ler & Henle), a species known from Japan, a fcetus of which was obtained by Dr. Jordan at Misaki. 
M. tenkee (Russell) has been recorded from the East Indies, Coromandel coast, etc.; and M. kuhlii 
(Muller & Henle"} from the Indian Ocean. Our species is probably identical with M. japonica , but of 
this we can not be sure. It is called “ Hfhimanu” by the local fishermen, a name which they apply 
also to Stoasodon narinari. 
Oei>halopkra japonica Muller Henle, Plagiostomen, 185,1811, Japan; Selilegel, Fauna Japonica, Poiss., 310,1850 (Japan). 
DicerolkUi8japonica, Gunther, Cat., VIII,496,1870 (after Mtiller A llenle); Bleeker, Nat. Verb. Ron. Ak. Amsterdam, XVIII, 
1879 (name only). 
Subclass |jOL( 1CEPHALI. — 'Tlatj Chimaeras. 
Skeleton cartilaginous. Gill-cavity with 4 clefts within, but having only one. external opening, 
which is covered by a fold of skin. No spiracles; mouth inferior; jaws with teeth, confluent into 
bony plates; upper jaw, palate, and hyomandibuiar eoalescent with the skull; intestine with a spiral 
valve; pectoral fins normally developed, placed low; ventral fins abdominal, with Gaspers in the 
male; derivative radii sessile on the sides of the basal bones of the limbs; skin scaleless, its muciferous 
system well developed. This group contains a single order, Chim;croidei. 
Order E. CHIM^EROIDEI.—The Chimaeroids. 
Characters of the order included above. The group contains one existing family, Chimseridae. 
Family XI. CHIMTKIDT. -The Chimaeras. 
Body elongate, rather robust anteriorly, tapering posteriorly. Head compressed; mouth small, 
inferior, the upper lip deeply notched; nostrils confluent with the mouth, Separated by a narrow 
isthmus; jaws with the teeth confluent into 4 bony laminse above and 2 below; no spiracles; pec¬ 
toral fins free, placed low; ventral fins abdominal, many-rayed, provided in the male with claspers; 
dorsal fin usually divided, anteriorly with a very strong spine which is grooved behind; caudal fin 
low, fold-like; skin naked, rarely somewhat prickly; lateral line present, usually with numerous 
branches anteriorly; 3 free gills and 2 half gills, 1 on each side; isthmus moderate; gillrakers small. 
Oviparous, the egg cases long, elliptical, with silky filaments. Genera 4; species about 7. Fishes of 
singular appearance, found chiefly in the seas of the cold regions. Numerous extinct genera are also 
referred to this family. 
Genus 17. CHIM7ERA Linnaeus. Elephant Fishes. 
Head somewhat compressed, the snout bluntish, protruding, fleshy, not armed at tip with an 
appendage; eyes very large, lateral; teeth rather strong; lips thickish, the lower with a frenum; 
lateral line simple on the body, but forking anteriorly, forming several series of mucous tubes on the 
head; male with a club-shaped cartilaginous hook on the head above the snout; this hook is curved 
forward and downward, and is armed at its tip with decurved spines; its tip fitting into a depression 
in front of the eyes; females without this appendage; gill-opening small; pectorals moderate; ventrals 
rather large, with large bifid claspers in the male; male also with rough appendages at the base of 
ventrals, protruding from a sheath of skin; first dorsal triangular, preceded by a strong spine, which 
is grooved behind and serrated on its edges; second dorsal and caudal fins low, often more or less 
notched; tail extending in the line of the axis of the body, more or less produced in a filament at, tip. 
Skin smooth. Fishes of singular appearance; mostly of the northern seas; not valued for food. The 
single Hawaiian species is fully described in Section II of this work. 
Chimxra Linnteus, Syst. Nat.. Eel. X, 230,1758 (movalrnm). 
