F I S H E S .
Wit
71
O r d e r C H O N D R O P T E R Y G IL
F am. C H IM jE R ID .® .
C h im j E R A C o l l i e i .
Chim. pinnA dorsali p rim á a secunda disjtmctá, secundá p e r medium iale emargina/á, te r tii ca u d a exlremitalem appro-
pinquanle ¡ anali pone pinnce dorsalis te r tia initium incipiente.
P L A T E X X I I I . F IG . 1.
H a b . in Oceano Pacifico, apud Monterey Californias.
I n g e n e r a l form th is sp e c ie s close ly re s em b le s th e Chim. monstrosa, L . L ik e th a t fish o f th e
A tla n tic O c e a n , th is o f th e P a c ific h a s a fleshy sn o u t p ro je c tin g fo rw a rd s o v e r th e m o u th , m a rk e d on
its u n d e r s u r f a c e b y th r e e lin e s o f p u n c tu r e s o n e a ch sid e , wh ich lie p a ra lle l to e a ch o th e r, a n d u n ite in
th e m id d le to form a s m a n y a n g le s p o in te d fo rw a rd s ; th e u p p e r p a r t o f th e h e a d b e tw e e n th e ey e s is
fu rn ish ed in th e ma le w ith a s h o r t c u rv e d c a rtila g in o u s p e d u n c le , e n la rg in g in to a ro u n d e d e x tr em ity
co v e re d w ith sp in e s , a n d re c e iv ed d u r in g in a c tio n in to a c av ity fo rm ed for i t in f ro n t o f its b a s e ;
th e re a r e th r e e d o rs a l fins, th e a n te r io r su p p o r te d in f ro n t by a s tro n g sp in e , a n d th e p o s te rio r two
a lm o s t c o n tin u o u s witli e a c h o th e r, a n d te rm in a tin g b e fo re a rriv in g a t th e e x tr em ity o f th e t a i l ; a n
a n a l fin e x te n d in g from n e a rly o p p o s ite th e c om m e n c em e n t o f th e th ird d o rsa l to th e t ip o f th e t a i l ;
am p le p e c to ra l and v e n tr a l fins, su p p o r te d on fleshy p ed ic le s o f a sh ie ld -lik e a p p e a ra n c e ; e a ch v e n tr a l
fill fu rn ish e d in th e m a le s , w ith tw o s e ts o f a p p e n d a g e s , o ne in a d v a n c e o f it, sp in o u s o n its in n e r
e d g e , a n d in c lu d e d w h en a t r e s t in a g ro o v e o f th e in te g um e n ts ; th e o th e r b e h in d th e fin, a ris in g a s a
s in g le s tem , which is a fte rw a rd s fo rk e d ; a n d a la te r a l lin e p a s s in g a lo n g n e a r th e b a c k , a n d su d d e n ly
de fle c ted b liq u e ly j u s t b ey o n d th e e n d o f th e se co n d d o r s a l fin, w h e re i t d e s c en d s to th e v e n tr a l ed g e
o f th e ta i l , a lo n g which i t is c o n tin u e d to b e g r a d u a lly lo s t a b o u t th e m id d le o f th e a n a l fin. I n th e s e
p a r tic u la r s b o ih th e sp e c ie s o f C h im a ra a g r e e , b u t th e y differ e s s e n tia lly in th e p o sitio n a n d fo rm o f
som e o f th e fin s , a n d in th e form o f th e ma le ap p e n d a g e s fo tb e v e n tr a ls .
T h e Chimara Colliei is s ilv e ry o n th e b a c k a n d s id e s ; i t i s b row n ish above , a n d d u l l w h ite below :
o n th e b a c k a n d sid e s i t is m a rk e d w ith n um e ro u s d u ll w h ite ro u n d ed sp o ts, v a ry in g in siz e from o n e to
th r e e o r f o u r line s in d iam e te r . T h e v e r tic a l fins a re w h ite a t th e ir b a s e a n d th ro u g h o u t th e g re a te r
p a r t o f th e ir e x t e n t , b u t be come b la c k ish tow a rd s th e ir m a rg in s ; th e p e c to r a l a n d v e n tra l fins a r e also
w h ite ; th e fo rm e r L av in g a b la c k ish lin e a lo n g th e ir o u te r m a rg in , a n d th e l a t te r b e in g s lig h tly d u s k y
tow a rd s th e ir o u te r ed g e . T h e la te r a l line is w h ite , slig h tly m a rg in e d on e a c h sid e w ith a b row n lin e .
Th e p ro je c tin g p a r t o f th e n o s e is b row n above , a n d th e in te ro c u la r p ro c e ss is white .
T h e a n te r io r d o rs a l fin is su p p o r te d in f ro n t b y a lo n g a n d s tro n g sp in e , wh ich is p r ic k ly o n ils
h in d e r s u r f a c e ; th e m em b ra n e a tta c h e d to th is sp in e slopes a lm o s t d ire c tly d ow nw a rd s ; i t c o n ta in s
a b o u t s ix ray s : w h en it ha s v e ry n e a rly r e a ch ed th e b a c k , i t is c o n tin u e d b a c kw a rd s in th e fo rm o f a
s lig h t fold o f th e s k in , fo r a b o u t o n e -h a lf o f th e sp a c e b e tw e en it a n d th e c om m e n c em e n t o f th e se c o n d
d o r s a l. T h e sp a c e in te rv e n in g b e tw e e n th e firs t a n d se c o n d d o rs a l fins, n e a rly e q u a ls th e len g th o f
th e fo rm e r m e a su re d a lo n g th e b a c k .
T h e s e c o n d d o rs a l c om m en c e s n e a r ly o p p o s ite to th e ba se o f th e v e n tr a ls . I t rise s r a th e r r a p id ly
to its h ig h e s t p a r t, which is n e a r its f ro n t; th e n d e sc en d s co n s id e rab ly , a n d a f te rw a rd s rise s g rad u a lly
u n til i t is su d d e n ly r o u n d e d off to th e b a c k . I t is im m e d ia te ly s u c c e e d e d b y th e th ird d o rs a l, w h ich
ris e s for a b o u t o n e -fo u rth o f its len g th , a n d th e n slo p e s off g rad u a lly to b e lo s t a sh o rt d is ta n c e be fore
th e e n d o f th e t a i l , w h ich ta p e r s to a p o in t, b u t c a n s c a r c e ly b e s a id to e n d in a filam en t.
T h e a n a l fin commenc e s a sh o rt d is ta n c e b e h in d t h e o rig in o f th e th ird d o r s a l : i t ris e s for a b o u t
o n e - th ird o f its le n g th , a n d th e n slo p e s off g r a d u a lly , to b e lost a lm o s t a t th e e x tr em ity o f th e ta il.
T h e u p p e r e d g e o f th e p e c to ra l fins is s tr a ig h t to n e a r its e n d , wh e re i t is s lig h tly ro u n d e d off
tow a rd s tb e p o i n t ; from th e p o in t i t slopes sh a rp ly fo rw a rd s , a n d is ro u n d e d a t its low e r side.
T h e o u te r a n d in n e r m a rg in s o f th e v e n tra l fins a re n e a r ly p a r a l le l ; e a ch is h ow ev e r slightly
ro u n d e d , th e l a t t e r b e in g r a th e r m ore so th a n th e fo rm e r, w hich i t som ew h a t e x c e e d s in l e n g th : th e s e
fins a r e t ru n c a te d a t th e en d , a n d a re ev e n s lig h tly em a rg in a te . Tbey e x te n d b ey o n d th e p o s te r io r
e x trem itie s o f th e a p p e n d a g e s w h ic h a r e a tta c h e d in 23. F ig . 2 .)
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