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Family Coryph aenoididae 
Body long, trunk short, tail long, tapering and compressed. 
Mouth small, protractile, terminal, subterminal or inferior; #ien mouth 
inferior snout prominent by enlarged nasals -which united in median line 
and supported below by united preorbitals. Usually barbel at chin. Teeth 
mostly small, uniserial or in villiform bands in both jaws. Bases of skull 
very thin, head often cavernous, especially on snout and suborbital regions. 
Gill opening wide, gill membranes free from or narrowly joined to isthmus. 
Gill rakers long and lanceolate or reduced spinescent tubercles. Gills 
4, slit behind last sometimes reduced. Pseudobranchiae usually glandular 
and reduced or absent. Branchiostegals 6 to 8. Air bladder usually present, 
physoclistic. Scales usually ctenoid, carinate or spinuliferous, imbricate, 
seldom cycloid. Lateral line present, axial. Muciferous canals of head 
well developed. Short anterior dorsal with second simple ray; usually 
pungent to spine like, followed by several branched rays. A long, low, 
posterior dorsal, confluent around tail with long anal, vihich usually deeper 
or high. Pseudocaudal may be developed, though true caudal normally absent. 
Paired fins present. Pectorals with 3 to 6 pterygials. Yentrals below 
or little behind pectorals, with 6 to 12 branched rays and usually preceded 
by short simple ray. 
These fishes are usually known as the Macruridae or Macrouridae, 
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though as Macrurus has been found to give way to earlier Coryphaenoides 
the family name Coryphaenoididae follows* The attempt hei*e is to include 
all the known species# 
