208 
Mr. A. Alcock on the Bathybial Fishes 
Family Gobiidae. 
Gobius, Artedi. 
11. Gobius cometes , sp. n. (PI. VIII. fig. 2.) 
Tissues fragile; all the fins elongate. 
B. 5. D. 6/10 (11). A. 10 (11). L. lat. 23-24. 
L. tr. 5-6. C. 18-20. P. 23. V. 1/5. 
Head with thin bones and inflated branchial region ; its 
length about one fourth of the total, caudal included, three 
eighths greater than its height and almost twice its breadth. 
Maximum body-height about one sixth of the total length, 
caudal included. 
Snout truncated, its breadth much greater than its length, 
which is two thirds the major diameter of the eye. Eyes 
large, their major diameter being contained 3| times in the 
head-length ; they are situated far forwards, on the top of the 
head, but with lateral visual axis, and are separated by a 
narrow shallow groove. Mouth with very oblique cleft ; the 
maxilla reaches the vertical through the middle of the eye, 
and the mandible is hardly prominent ; in each jaw an inner 
band of villiform teeth, and an outer regular row of uniformly 
enlarged, acute, slightly curved teeth ; tongue large and 
fleshy. Gill-covers large, the suboperculum much larger 
than the operculum ; gill-laminae broad ; gill-rakers small 
and weak. Scales large (0*23 inch in the vertical, 0T8 inch 
in the antero-posterior diameter) , very finely ctenoid ; they 
cover the crown of the head as far as the eyes, leaving only 
the cheeks and opercles scaleless ; there are five or six rows 
of scales between the second dorsal and the anal fins. 
All the fins are elongated ; the second and third dorsal spines 
are about half as long as the head ; the rays of the feathery 
second dorsal and anal increase in length from before back- 
wards as far as the antepenultimate ray, which is a good deal 
longer than the head. The caudal is long and pointed, its 
longest rays, which are on the dorsal aspect, are one third 
the total length. The ventrals are united, but are not adherent 
to the abdomen ; their length is a little greater than the 
height of the body. Pectorals with a long fleshy base, their 
longest (middle) rays are nearly equal to the length of the 
head. 
Intestine short ; anal papilla long and slender. A large 
thin- walled air-bladder is present. Vertebrae 11/13. 
Colours in life: — Transparent grey, with seven broad bright- 
yellow cross bands not quite reaching the abdominal raphe, 
