SLIME HEADS. 
030 
side of Tropical America; our illustration showing 
a member of the former genus 
(P. schomburglci). These fishes are characterised by the absence of a lateral line, 
and the great number of 
spines in both the dorsal 
and anal fins. The thoracic 
pelvic fins have one spine 
and five rays, and the teeth 
are feeble. These fishes are 
all of very small size, and 
are stated to feed ex¬ 
clusively upon insects. 
Teuthis. 
The single 
generic repre- 
sohomburgk’s many-spine (f nat. size). 
sentative of the Teuthididce, 
of which a species {Teuthis 
striolata) is shown in the illustration on p. 354, is characterised by the tooth¬ 
less palate, and the presence of a series of narrow serrated incisor teeth in the 
front of each jaw. The scales on the oblong and compressed body are very 
small, and there is a continuous lateral line. In the single dorsal fin the spinous 
considerably exceeds the soft portion in length; the anal has seven spines; and 
the thoracically-placed pelvic fins have an outer and inner spine, between which 
are three rays. These fishes have a large air-bladder, forked at both extremities; 
and they also display several peculiarities in the structure of the skeleton; the 
abdomen being surrounded by a complete ring of bones, owing to the backward 
prolongation of certain elements of the pectoral arch, and the unusual develop¬ 
ment of the pelvis. A considerable number of species have been described from 
the Indo-Pacific, where their eastward range stops about the longitude of the 
Sandwich Islands. The largest of them is not more than 15 inches in length, and 
all are vegetable-feeders. In the figured species, which is from the New Hebrides, 
the general colour is brownish red, marked with narrow vermiculated blue lines; 
the spines of the fins also bearing white spots. 
The Berycoids or Slime-Heads,—F amily Berychidm. 
With the slime-heads we come to a family distinguished from the whole of 
the preceding, and forming a group by itself characterised by the presence on 
the head of large mucous-bearing cavities, covered with a thin skin, and by the 
thoracically-situated pelvic fins having one spine and five rays (save in Monocentris, 
where the latter are reduced to two). The compressed body may be either oblong 
or deep in form, but is always short; and the scales, which are rarely wanting, 
are of the ctenoid type. Lateral in position, the eyes are almost always large in 
size; the lateral cleft of the mouth slopes obliquely upwards; the teeth in the 
jaws are villi form; teeth are in most cases developed on the palatines; the bones 
of the gill-cover are more or less fully armed; and there are nearly always eight 
branchiostegal rays, although these are sometimes reduced to four. There are no 
scales on the head, and false gills are present. The slime-heads, which comju’ise 
vol. v .—23 
