62 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
24. Trachinocephalus myops (Forster). “ Kawelea; ” “Welea.” Fig. 13. 
Head 3.5 in length; depth 5; D. 13; A. 16; P. 12; V. 8; scales 4-55-5; width of head only a very 
little less than twice its length; depth of head 1.6 in its length; snout 1.5 in eye; eye 3 in maxillary; 
maxillary 1.85 in head; interorbital space 1 in snout, 1.5 in eye; pectoral 2.25 in head; ventral 1; base 
of anal 3.67 in body; length of depressed dorsal 3.75. 
Body elongate, compressed, deepest forward or about the neck, gradually tapering backward with 
a long tail; head large, elongate, deep, compressed laterally, the upper profile very blunt, gibbous in 
front; the lower profile a rather long shallow convex curve from tip of snout to below pectoral; snout 
very short, blunt, obtuse; eye small, its posterior rim nearly midway in space between tip of snout and 
end of maxillary, the latter considered in the vertical until level with tip of snout; mouth cleft very 
large and oblique, the maxillary long, with its posterior portion gradually constricted until it is much 
narrower than at middle of its length; mandible very large, the rami broad and powerful; lips broad, 
thin; teeth in jaws sharp, more or less unequal, in double series; in upper jaw the outer series more 
or less concealed by the broad lips; in the lower jaw those in inner series the larger; no vomerine 
teeth; those on palatines in a single series; tongue a triangular ridge, free in front, with a triangular 
patch of depressible teeth above, and with a single median series extending backward over the basi- 
branehials; nostrils close together on the sides of snout, the anterior with a ciliated flap; interorbital 
space deeply concave, each of the supraorbital ridges raised in front; top of head more or less rugose, 
also the posterior lower border of orbit; gill-openings large, the membranes free from isthmus; no 
gillrakers, the inner surface of the branchial arches covered with minute asperities; gill-filaments 
short; no pseudobranchke; peritoneum silvery; scales large, cycloid, 6 rows on cheek, a number along 
edge of preopercle and on opercle; occiput scaly, rest of head hare; scales between ventrals forming a 
broad scaly flap; scale at axil of pectoral somewhat pointed; ventrals with a scaly flap 2.5 in length of 
fin; lateral line slightly decurved at first and then straight along side to base of caudal; origin of dorsal 
nearer tip of snout than origin of adipose fin by an eye diameter; length of last dorsal ray half the 
length of first developed ray and when depressed the tip of first developed ray reaching 0.75 length 
of depressed fin; adipose dorsal nearer tip of last depressed dorsal than base of caudal; origin of anal 
midway between axil of pectoral and base of caudal, and behind base of last dorsal ray; caudal deeply 
forked; pectoral small, tip not reaching origin of dorsal; ventrals very long, reaching origin of anal, 
inserted a little before tips of pectorals. 
Color in life (No. 03233), pale grayish, silvery below; side of back with 3 wavy stripes of dull 
yellow, each edged with darker olive, the uppermost most wavy, joining its fellow across the back in 
about 12 irregular crossbars of dirty yellow, edged with darker, the interspaces pearly-bluish; below 
the lowest yellow streak are 2 very faint similar streaks lost in the white color of the side; head with 
streaks continued from the sides but fainter; top of head mottled sand-color; an oblique jet-black 
spot on the scapular region; dorsal with 2 faint cross-streaks of light yellow and 2 of pearly-blue, 
besides 2 or 3 dark dots; caudal faint yellowish; lower fins whitish; the ventrals creamy. 
