164 



THE FAUNA OF THE DEEP SEA 



Belonging to the family of the Salmons we find 

 one genus Bathylagus that is undoubtedly an abysmal 

 form. Although there may be some doubt as to the 

 exact depth at which the specimens were captured, 

 the thinness of the bones, the enormous size of the 

 eyes, and other bathybial characters prove that they 

 must live in very deep water. Closely allied to the 

 salmon and the herrings is the family of the Alepoce- 



FIG. 22. Saccopliarynx ampullaceus ; a deep-sea eel, with the head 

 of a large fish, which it has swallowed, showing through the 

 thin integuments of the body. (From Gunther.) 



phalidae, a family that contributes several forms to 

 the fauna of the deep sea, but they do not possess 

 any characters that call for special comment. Their 

 vertical distribution varies between 345 and 2,150 

 fathoms. 



The family Halosauridas contains five species all 

 confined to the abysmal zone. They have long bodies 

 tapering to a finely pointed tail, and the head is pro- 



