OCR Text |
Show 456 MR. J. Y. JOHNSON ON SOME N E W [June 3, row of silvery spots along the ventral line; here there are several rows of silvery spots on the sides. millim. Length without caudal 110 Height at root of pectorals .... 20 Thickness at root of pectorals .. 12 Head, length 31 Premaxillary, length 17 Pectoral fin, length 25 3. SCOPELUS SCUMITZI, sp. n. B. M . 6. 1st D. 12. 2nd D. rudimentary. V. 7. A. 14. Oblong, compressed; height to length without caudal as 1 to 4|. Blackish, reflecting steel-blue from the sides and gill-covers ; a row of small spots behind the vent near the ventral line on each side, a few before the vent, and a few irregularly scattered at the sides of the body. Scales cycloid, finely and concentrically striate. Head to length of fish without caudal as 1 to 3f. Snout very short. Head and cheeks scaly. Eye round, not quite reaching to the profile, less than half a diameter from the snout and coming nearly up to the maxilla. Diameter of eye to length of head as 1 to 3^. A low median crest between the eyes and along the snout. Posterior margin of opercle projects with a deltoid angle over the root of the pectorals. Inside of mouth and gill-covers black. Rictus oblique, nearly 11 m m . long, reaching much beyond the orbit and nearly to below the lower angle of the opercle. Upper border of mouth formed entirely of the premaxillary, which is dentiferous up to its end. Teeth minute, curved, sharp, in narrow brush-like bands in both jaws. In the lower jaw the band of teeth is broader than that in the upper jaw, and it is seen outside when the mouth is closed. There are teeth on the palatines and a few minute ones on the vomer; the entopterygoids are rough with points. Minute teeth along middle of tongue expanding posteriorly into a broad patch. The gill-rakers are also armed. The first dorsal fin is short: it begins over the root of the ventrals or slightly in advance; the base ends a little before the beginning of the anal; its posterior rays reach back a little beyond the tips of the ventrals aud as far as the commencement of the anal. The second rudimentary dorsal is very small; it is placed over the end of the base of the anal. The narrow pointed pectorals are inserted low down and reach back to or a little beyond the base of the ventrals. The ventrals reach back as far as the vent. At the upper angle of the root there is a narrow scale-like loose appendage. The anal fin has 14 rays ; and it begins a little behind the end of the base of the dorsal. The caudal fin is furcate and has about 20 rays. The lateral line is straight along the middle of the body and tail. There are about 38 scales in its length, and about 5 above and 5 below the lateral line. |