Depth 16 to 18, l-l/8 to l-l/6 in postocular; head 3-l/8 to 3a 
in body without caudal, width 7-l/8 to 7-ijr. Snout l|r to 1-3/5 in head from 
5 t5 
snout tip; end of frontal extension or suture to eye 4g to % in rest of 
snout; eye 9 to ^ in head from snout tip, 5^ to 6 in snout, greater than 
interorbital, 2-l/8 to 2-l/3 in postocular; maxillary reaches l/6 in eye, 
entirely concealed when closed; interorbital 2-1/5 to 2rj in postocular, 
level, with broad shallow depression medially behind. Gill rakers 4 or 5 -t 
24 to 26, lanceolate, 1^- in gill filaments, which •§■ of eye. 
Scales 200 to 270 in median lateral or axial series to caudal base; 
120 to 153 predorsal scales to occiput, small and rounded on back. Smaller 
scales with 20 circuli, 10 or less in young; large lateral elongate scales 
with 30 to 50 close set circuli, becaning more or less incomplete with age, 
D. II, 15 or II, 16, first branched ray 5f to 6 in total head length; 
A. II, 18 or II, 19, first branched ray 5^- to 5-g-; caudal 3-l/8 to 3^, forked, 
little less forked in young; least depth of caudal peduncle l|r to 1-3/5 in 
eye; pectoral 4-l/5 to 4-l/3 in total head length; ventral 5-§ to 6, origin 
slightly nearer caudal base than pectoral origin. 
Brown above, side with broad ill-defined silvery band and below 
whitish. Sides of head and eyes silvery white. Fins pale or transparent. 
dorsal and caudal slightly dusted with brown. 
Eastern Atlantic from Iceland, British Isles, Mediterranean, Madeira, 
South Africa to Natal. 
I fail to distinguish Petalichthys capensis Regan from the common 
1 
European gar fish Belone belone . It is described with 22 lower gill rakers 
and but 11 pectoral rays. This latter character recalls the imperfectly 
noticed Belone 11 radiata Budge. It was based apparently more cn anatomical 
details, chiefly dental cotints, rather than careful comparison with Belone 
00 3 
belone. 
