Plagiostomata of the Pacific. Pt. I. Fam. Heterodontidae / by N. de Miklouho-Maclay and William Macleay.
- Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay
- Date:
- [1878]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Plagiostomata of the Pacific. Pt. I. Fam. Heterodontidae / by N. de Miklouho-Maclay and William Macleay. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![jaws are all acutely trilobed (the middle cusp largest), even those that have fulfilled their duty outside the jaw remain tolerably acute, while the side teeth are very elongate, with an elevated ridge along the entire length, grooved or fluted on the outer side. The supra-orbital ridges are short, much elevated, bend outwards over the eye, approach towards the front, and terminate abruptly behind. The first gill opening is three times the length of the fifth. The spiracle is a little more distant from the eye, and slightly more advanced than in H. Phillipi. The first dorsal fin commences rather behind the vertical from the root of the pectorals. The second dorsal commences behind the ventral, and reaches almost to the vertical from the commencement of the caudal. The spines are two-thirds the length of the fins, and the fins themselves are relatively of the same size as in H. Phillipi, but are pointed and falcate on the summit. The antero-inferior lobe of the caudal fin is large, vertically truncate behind, and separated from the posterior lobe (which is smaller and triangular) by an acute angle ; the extremity is truncate. The anal fin reaches nearly to the commencement of the caudal. The other fins are large and shaped as in H. Phillipi. The colour in the dried specimen before me is a dull pale brown on the upper parts, and a brownish white beneath. The top of the head and supra-orbital ridges from the level of the eyes back- wards are black ; the black patch extends backwards to near the first dorsal fin, and downwards a little, though more faintly, on the cheek; there are also some faint broad black cross-bars along the whole length of the back. A light-coloured lateral line seems to divide the darker upper from the lighter under portion, as in H. Phillipi. It is probable that the colour in the fresh specimens would be a sericeous reddish-brown with the black marks much more clearly defined. To judge by the number of specimens known of this fish it might be pronounced extremely rare. The first recorded is by Dr. Gunther (Cat. Brit. Mus. vol. 8, p. 416), and all he says of it, in addition to a short specific description, is that it is a femalc> 25 inches long, presented by Dr. G. Bennett, from Australia. [10]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22367913_0012.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
