208 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VI, July, 1952 
50 
TTim 
Fig. 11. Nealotus tripes (No. 13957). Drawn by senior author. 
vent 8.22; longest (2nd or 3rd) anal soft ray 
3.75; caudal 1.41. 
Body very elongate and compressed, width 
anteriorly about half the depth. Upper profile 
of head nearly straight from tip of snout to 
insertion of dorsal fin. Snout slightly more 
than twice as long as eye, not projecting be- 
yond premaxillaries. Jaws bluntly conical; 
lower jaw projecting beyond tip of snout a 
distance equal to one third diameter of eye. 
Mouth large; maxillary exposed, extending 
to below front edge of pupil, about 4 times 
as broad as least infraorbital width. Three 
fangs on each side of upper jaw near tip of 
snout, second one on right side and first and 
third on left depressible, but others immov- 
able; a pair of canines near symphysis of lower 
jaw, entirely exposed immediately in front of 
closed mouth; lateral teeth on jaws conical 
and widely spaced, those on lower jaw rather 
larger than those on upper. Vomer edentu- 
lous; a single series of small teeth on palatines. 
Eye round, nearly entering upper profile of 
head, slightly less than half as long as snout; 
infraorbital very narrow, its least width about 
half that of pupil; interorbital space slightly 
narrower than eye, with 4 low longitudinal 
ridges; space between inner pair of ridges 
shallowly concave. Angle and lower edge of 
preopercle armed with several vestigial spines, 
invisible without aid of a lens. Border of 
opercle shallowly notched between 2 obtuse 
projections. 
Lateral line single, inserted slightly before 
perpendicular through preopercular margin 
and running straight backward and slightly 
downward to base of caudal fin; each pore in 
lateral line bearing a short branch, enclosed 
in a broad sheath and running backward and 
upward. Scales rather large, nonimbricate, 
scattered here and there on surface of head 
and body. 
Dorsal fin inserted midway between tip of 
opercle and upper end of gill opening, much 
nearer insertion of pectoral than posterior 
border of eye; base of spinous dorsal a little 
more than 3 times as long as base of soft 
dorsal and about one-half length of body, 
excluding caudal fin; soft dorsal about as long 
as anal, preceded by a single spine and in- 
serted slightly in advance of first anal soft ray. 
A flat dagger-shaped spine, little more than 
half as long as eye, located slightly behind 
vent; a small spine, hardly visible with naked 
eye, behind dagger-shaped spine. Soft anal 
inserted under third ray of soft dorsal and 
preceded by a spine; finlets 2 in dorsal and 
in anal. Pectoral rather long, extending to 
slightly beyond vertical from base of seventh 
dorsal spine; lower pectoral rays not especial- 
ly shortened. Ventral reduced to a single 
smooth spine, about as long as pupil, inserted 
below middle of base of pectoral fin. Caudal 
deeply emarginated, with subequal lobes. 
Gill raker at angle of arch T-shaped, very 
long, with somewhat more than half its en- 
tire length exposed; other rakers with a large 
roundish basal plate, armed with 3 or 4 sharp 
cusps and, usually, 1 to 3 small accessory 
spines; a minute accessory raker, armed with 
1 to 3 small spines, interpolated between 
pairs of larger ones (Fig. 12). 
In fresh state prior to preservation, head 
and body jet-black; pectoral and basal part 
