FISHES OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 
125 
Genus 71. ATHLENNES Jordan & Fordice. 
This genus is close to Tylosurus, differing chiefly in the greatly compressed, almost ribbon-shaped 
body. The single species is American and Pacific. 
Atlilennes Jordan & Fordice, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 18S6, 342 (Mans). 
84. Athlennes Ilians (Cuvier & Valenciennes). “Ahciaha.” Fig. 40. 
Head (tip of beak broken) 2.6 in trunk; depth 9 in trunk; D. 25; A. 26;- P. 12; V. 6; scales about 
520 in a lateral series to base of caudal; depth of head about twice its width; eye about 2 in postocular 
part of head, 1 and a trifle over in interorbital space; pectoral 3.3 in head; ventral a little over 4. 
Body very elongate, narrowly compressed, the sides flattened; head flattened on top, the sides 
strongly compressed and the under surface narrowly constricted; eye rather large, much longer than 
deep; jaws long, the upper strongly arched upward at the base, so that the mouth can not be closed, 
the mandible very broad and deep at the base; groove of maxillary extending to below middle of eye 
at least; many large canines in each jaw, and the floor of the mandible with a median asperous ridge; 
no vomerine teeth; tongue well developed, rather small, and free in front; nasal cavity large, near 
upper margin of eye, and with a thick fleshy flap over the nostril; interorbital space broad, flattened; 
top of head with a few bony strife; gill-opening large, the isthmus a thin frenum; no gillrakers; no 
pseudobranchiae. 
Scales very minute and narrowly imbricated; top of head and a large patch on cheeks scaled, 
otherwise naked; no fin flaps; lateral line running along the ventral surface of body, also along the 
lower side of caudal peduncle to base of caudal; origin of dorsal a little nearer base of ventral than, 
that of caudal, and the anterior rays very long and forming a falcate lobe; anal similar to dorsal, the 
anterior rays long and forming a long falcate lobe, the origin of the fin only a trifle in advance of that 
of the dorsal; caudal small, the rays rigid, strong, the edge emarginate, and the lower lobe the longer; 
pectoral with the uppermost ray enlarged; ventrals inserted a trifle nearer anterior margin of nasal 
cavity than base of caudal; caudal peduncle compressed, its least width two-thirds its least depth, and 
no keel along sides. 
Color in alcohol, brown above, the lower portions, including the sides, silvery white, and the fins 
all more or less brownish; 3 large blackish blotches sometimes present on back below dorsal. 
This description taken from an example (No. 03561) 30 inches long obtained at Honolulu in 1889 
by Dr. Jenkins. We have also 2 others collected by him at Honolulu and 5 large examples col- 
lected by ourselves from the same locality. The species is recorded by Steindachner from Acapulco. 
Our specimens range in length from 29 to 40 inches. 
