DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AM> THEIB DISTRIBUTION. 105 



Family ASTRONESTHID^E. 



Aatronesthidm, Gill, MS. 



Stomatoid fishes, with adipose dorsal present, and scaleless body. Dorsal iiii inserted 

 behind vent, but in front of anal. ( Gill, MS. i 



ASTRONESTHES, Richardson. 



dstroneathes, Richardson Voy. Sulph., Ichth., lsir>. 97.— Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., v, 124. 

 I'll, modus, Lowe, Ptoc. Zool. Soo. London, 1850, 250. 



Body rather elongate, compressed, scaleless. Head compressed, the snout short, the 

 month wide. Teeth pointed, unequal. CTpper jaw with 1 long, curved canines; lower 

 with 2; maxillary teeth fine, subequal; palatines with a single series of small, pointed 

 teeth, similar to those on tongue. Eye moderate. Throat with a barbel. Dorsal fin long, 

 inverted in front of anal, behind ventrals; adipose tin present: caudal forked; paired fins 

 well developed. Gill rakers minute. No pseudobranchiae. No air bladder. Lower parts 

 with phosphorescent spots. {Jordan and Gilbert.) 



ASTKOXKSTHES NIGER, RICHARDSON. (Figure 123.) 



Astroneathes nigra, Richardson. Voy. Sulph., Ichth. 97, pi. 50, figs. 1-3. 

 Astronesthes niger, Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., v, 425. 

 Stomias I'itlilji, Cuvteb and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poise., xxn, 378. 

 CTiauliodus I'lihiii, Cuvier and Valenciennes, I. c, xxn, 389. 

 Phamodon ringens, Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1850, 251. 



Black, with about 22 luminous spots between chin aud ventrals. Barbel a little longer 

 than head. Dorsal beginning just behind base of ventrals; pectoral not reaching nearly 

 to ventrals. Jaws equal. Eye large, well forward. 



Radial formula: Head 4; depth 5i. D. 17; A. 14. 



This species is represented in the national collection by only a single specimen (No. 

 34538, IT. S. N. M.), the tye of Chauliodus Meldii, C. and V.. obtained by < 'apt. Field, in May, 

 1819, on a voyage from Mogador to New York, probably at the surface. This specimen 

 parsed from the hands of Dr. Mitchill to those of Mr. ,1. ('arson Brevoort, then to Mr. E. 

 G. Blackford, by whom it was presented to the National Museum. 



ASTRONESTHKS GEMMIFEE, Goode and Bean, n. s. (Figure 124.) 



Length of head contained 4i times in the total (without caudal); its depth 8 times, and 

 the depth of the body 5J times. Barbel about equal in length to the head. Origin of the 

 dorsal tin a little nearer tip of snout than root of caudal; length of its base contained 

 nearly 4 times in the total (without caudal); its longest ray two thirds the length of the 

 head. Ventral origin directly under the dorsal origiu; length of the ventral contained .">i 

 times in the total (without caudal); it does not nearly reach to the vent. The distance of 

 the anal origin from the root of the caudal is a little more than one-fourth of total length 

 (without caudal). Eye longer than snout; one-fourth as long as the head. Pectoral is 

 nearly one-seventh as long as body (without caudal). 



Radial formula: D. 17; A. 17: V. 7; I'. 9. 



The type of this species (No. 24045, U. S. N. M.), about 7 ] inches in length, was taken 

 from a halibut's stomach. January 26, 1890, by the schooner Polar Wave, in 41 25' N. lat., 

 53 12' W. Ion. The halibut was taken in about 300 fathoms. 



This species may possibly prove identical with .1. niger. The limits of variation of the 

 lin rays in this genus has not been determined for lack of sufficient material. The species 

 has 17 anal rays and numerous gem-like dots on the lower part of the body, there being 

 about 30 in the series froiu the symphysis of the inaudible to the ventral. 



