36 
NEW OR LITTLE KNOWN FISHES 
maxillary not reaching to the vertical from the eye. Teeth in the 
upper jaw in a broad band which is of equal width throughout, very 
fine sharp and densely crowded, the two outer series on each side 
posteriorly greatly enlarged and recurved ; those of the lower jaw 
all small, the band decreasing in width to a single series posteriorly 
and extending much further back than the premaxillary band. 
Space between the inner anterior angles of the preorbitals as wide 
as the eye, its edge truncated or emarginate. Diameter of eye 1 to 
If in the length of the snout, 2| to 3| in the width of the head, and 
3|- to 5 in the length of the same. Interorbital region narrow, one 
fourth or less than one fourth of the diameter of the eye, forming a 
deep groove between the strongly developed supraciliary ridges. 
Preopercular spine strong, a little shorter than the eye, extending 
backwards to or slightly beyond the level of the gill-opening, its 
distal extremity strongly curved upwards, the upper border with a 
single rather slender antrorsely curved barb ; lower border with a 
much stronger barb directed outwards and forwards and inserted 
mesially. Occipital armature consisting of a pair of bucklers from 
which in the adult radiate in every direction series of short dentiform 
processes, which not only form a file-like protection to the occiput, 
but extend forward along the entire supraciliary ricige, and often 
form a small patch anteriorly on the mesial line of the nape ; in 
younger specimens the armature is usually reduced to a few coarse 
striae directed inwards and backwards, between which and on the 
anterior facies of the bucklers are fine raised reticulated lines.* 
Spinous dorsal inserted midway between origin of soft dorsal and 
posterior border or (in large males) middle of eye ; in the male ail 
the spines end in slender filaments, the length of which is subject 
to great individual variation ;t the two first are, however, always 
elongate, the last comparatively short ; in the series before me the 
extension of the first spine varies from the base of the eighth dorsal 
ray to that of the caudal fin, its length being from two-thirds to 
one-half of the length of the body : the second spine extends to 
between the base of the fourth ray and the middle of the caudal 
peduncle ;% the third to betw r een the origin and the end of the soft 
dorsal :§ in the female the spines are graduated from the first, the 
*The strength of the armature does not seemingly always correspond with other 
characters of the adult, for in the type specimen, a small male with the dorsal spines 
more developed than in any other example, which I have as yet seen, the occiput is 
nearly smooth. 
f This variation is in no wise dependent upon the size of the fish. 
X These outside measurements belong to the two smallest examples in the 
collection the large ones being intermediate. 
§ The longer of these two measurements is taken from a small, the shorter from, 
a large example. 
