DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 347 



Gill rakers short. 8 below angle of first arch, t of which are rudimentary, the longest :! 

 millimeters) 5 in diameter of eye. (In L. profundorum the gill-rakers are slenderer and 

 longer, though about equally numerous <>n the first arch.) 



Scales in about 1 1 rows from the origin of the dorsal to the median line of the bodj . 



Vcntrals with length (13 millimeters) 3 in that of head. 



Dorsal origin tar hack, at a distance from the snout (55 millimeters) 1 * in total length; 

 at a distance from the eye e |ual to bead's Length. (In L. profundorum this distance is two 

 thirds of the bead's length ami the first ray of the dorsal is nearly over the middle of the 

 extended pectoral; in L. cervinum, over its tip, or nearly so.) 



Anal origin with distance from snout (84 millimeters) •"> in total length. Length of pee 

 toral (10 millimeters) 2 in head's length and 13 to 1 1 in that of body (lit in L. marmoratum, 

 11 in L. profundorum). 



Scales ornamented with radiating stria-, covering densely all parts of the fish except 

 the snout and under surface of the head and the tins. Lateral line continued almost to the 

 end of the tail. 



Color brownish-yellow, with numerous subcircular spots of white, with diameter half 

 that of eye along the upper half of the body. Vertical tins with narrow black margin. 



The type (Cat. No. 28764, IT. S. K M.) 262 millimeters in length, was taken by the 

 Fish Eawk from station 941, in 40° 01' X. Int., 60° 56' W. Ion., at a depth of 711 fathoms. 

 A single specimen (Oat. No. 28955, U. S. N. M.) was obtained by the same vessel from sta 

 tion 1036, in 39° 58' X. hit.. 69' 30' W. Ion., at a depth of 04 fathoms. The Albatross also 

 secured examples (Oat. So. 37236, U.S. N. M.) from station 2309, in 35 13' 30" X. hit.. 7 1 52' 

 W. Ion., at a depth of 56 fathoms; (Cat, No. 32653, U. S. N. M.) from station 2004, in 37 10 

 45" X. Int., 74026' 06" W. Ion., at a depth of 102 fathoms; and (Cat. No. 37235. C. S. X. M.) 

 from station 2208, in 35° 39' N. hit,, 74° 52' W. Ion., at a depth of so fathoms. 



EEPTOPHIDIUM PROFUNDORUM, Gill. (Figure 307.) 



Leptophidium profundorum, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1863, 211. — Jordan, Cat. Fish. N. America, 



1885, 126. 

 Ophidiam profundorum, Jordan and Gilbert, Bull., xvi, U. S. Nat. Mus., 793. 



The greatest height equals about a tenth of the extreme length, and is developed at 

 the pectoral region; it thence almost uniformly decreases to the end, and at the aims equals 

 one-eleventh of the same: the thickness behind the pectoral fins equals seven-tenths of the 

 height, and almost uniformly decreases to the end like the height. The anus is at the end 

 of the first third of the length. 



The head forms rather less than a sixth of the length, and is transversely convex above 

 and moderately inflated on the sides; the greatest width equals half its length. The eye is 

 rather longer than the snout, subcircular, and its diameter slightly exceeds two-sevenths 

 of the head's length; its pupil is small, the diameter equaling only a third of that of the 

 eye. The width of the interocular region rather exceeds two ninths of the head's length. 

 The snpramaxillary ends behind under the hinder margin of the pupil. 



The dorsal fin commences nearly over the middle of the pectoral fin, and with the sec 

 ond fifth of the length and is moderately high; the anal commences immediately behind the 

 anus, and is about as high as the dorsal: the caudal rays of the fin are the longest, 'flic 

 pectoral tin little exceeds half the head's length, and the longest branch of the ventral is 

 less than a third of the head's length, and three fifths greater than the shorter. 



The color is a light rufous; the vertical tins margined with black. 



'fhc following notes show the relative proportions: 



Extreme length (7 inches), 100; length to end of middle caudal rays. 



Body. — Greatesl beight, 1<> : greatest width, 7: heighl at anus, 9; width at anus, 7; 

 height between anus and caudal. 0.4. 



Ilniil. — Greatest length, Hi: distance from snout to nape, 1 1 : greatesl w idth, 8; width 

 of interocular area, 3J; height of preorhital, 1 .', : length of snont. I: length of supra- 

 maxillary, 6. 



