2504 
Family Alepisauridae 
Body greatly elongated, tapering back. Head rather large. Snout 
produced, long. Mouth cleft wide. Premaxiliaries very long, slender, not 
protractile, form entire upper jaw edge. Maxillary thin, long, immovable. 
Teeth variable, erect. Opercles thin, membranaceous. No barbel. Gill 
openings very wide. Pseudobranchiae large. Branchiostegals 5 to 7. No 
air vessel. Vertebrae 51. Abdominal ribs extend symmetrically whole 
length of abdomen before anal fin. Body scaleless. No photophcres. Dorsal 
very long, extends nearly whole length of back. Adipose fin present. Anal 
moderate. Caudal widely forked. Ventral abdominal. 
Widely distributed in temoerate and tropical seas. Fishes of large 
size and formidable dentition. The Cretaceous Apateodus , knowr from remains 
of the skull, appears related. 
Analysis of genera 
1 . 
JL . Skull moderately long; palatine teeth 3 or 4 large canines erect or 
directed back; jaws rather deep. ------------ Alepisaurus. 
2 ^ , 
iL . Skull greatly elongate; palatine teeth 5 or 6 large canines directed 
forward; jaws very slender. - - — - ~ — Eug nsthoaeuru s. 
