A REVIEW OF THE JAPANESE FISHES OF THE Fi MILY OF AGONID.F. By David Starr Jordan and Edwin Chapin Starks. Of Stanford University. In this paper is given a review of the species of fishes belonging to the family of Agonida', known in English as sea poachers or alligator fishes, in Japanese as tokubire or sachi, found in the waters of Japan. The material studied is preserved in the United States National Museum, in the Museum of the Leland Stanford Junior University, and in the Museums of Tokyo and Sapporo, in Japan, Most of the species are fully described in Jordan and Evermann's Fishes of North and Middle America, and only those not represented there are des-cribed in full in this paper. The new plates are by the Japanese artists, Sekko Shimada and Kako Morita. Family AGONID.E. Body angular, commonly 8-angled, the caudal peduncle 6-angled, covered with 8 to 12 longitudinal rows of imbricated, radiallv sti-iated plates, the anterior edge of each plate overh^ing the posterior edge of the plate next in front of it; plates spinous or not. Teeth small, even, in villiform bands on jaws, and in most species on vomer and palatines, sometimes wholly obsolete; gills 3i, no slit behind the last: pseudo-branchia^ large, extending down the inner side of opercle; gill rakers small; gill membranes united, free, or joined to isthmus; ventral fins thoracic, narrow, their rays 1, 2; vent usually close behind ventrals; spinous dorsal large, small, or absent; anal without spines; caudal rounded, about ?> times as long as wide at base, with 10 to 12 long rays; base of pectorals usually broad, the lower rays sometimes produced; all rays of all fins simple; branchiostegal rays 6; myodonie (tube of recti muscles) with membranaceous roof; basisphenoid a})sent; post-temporal not bifurcate, continuousl\' articulated with epiotic and pterotic; pyloric cpeca few, about -1 to 7; vertebrje numerous, 35 to 50. Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXVII— No. 1365. 575 Proc. N. M. vol. xxvii-OH 41
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