DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIK DISTRIBUTION. 331 



Eleven specimens were taken by the French expedition at station n, off the Cape 

 Verde [stands, at a depth of 3,200 meters. They wore evidently spawning, for red eggs were 

 protruding from the abdomen. 



MCEBIA, Goode and Bean, n. g. 



Brotulids resembling Bassozetus in general form, excepting that the tail is prolonged in 

 averyslender filament, the dorsal and anal rays being extremely short posteriorly, hut 

 positively confluent with the caudal rays, which are much longer and much oxserted. Ven 

 rals each bifid, instead of a single ray as in Bassozetus. He id very cavernous, the sinuses 

 large and conspicuous on the infraorbital ring, on the mandible, and the preoperculum. A 

 single, short, feeble spine on the shoulder, but none upon the operculum or preoperculum, 

 though certain projections seem to show above the eye, doubtless due to the shrinkage of 

 the integument upon the underlying projections of bone. Mouth very wide, the extremity 

 of the maxillary much dilated. Posterior nostrils very wide, and separated from the eye 

 b\ a small, spinous projection of bone. Teeth in narrow bands, that on the vomer V-shaped 

 with the two arms straight. A few very large scales in a row starting from the upper 

 angle of the gill-opening and terminating over the axil of the pectoral. Gill-rakers on 

 outer arch rather numerous, long and slender. Pseudobranchife represented by t wo minute 

 globules. 



This genus is founded upon Bathynectes gracilis of Giinther (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 1878, ii, 21; Challenger Report, xxu, 112, pi. xvi, tig. B), provisionally referred by G-iinther 

 to our genus Porogadus. 



It is named in honor of Prof. Karl Moebius, Director of the Royal Zoological Museum in 

 Berlin, who has added much to our knowledge of marine life by his noble work Die Fauna 

 der Kielerbucht, and by numerous other writings. 



It is but right to say that at the time its reference was made, no figure of Porogadus 

 had been published, and some of the most salient characters, which we tried to bring out 

 prominently in our generic diagnosis, seem not to have been sufficiently emphasized, so 

 that both Dr. Giinther and Dr. Vaillant were misled as to the real affinities of our species 

 Porogadus miles, the type of the genus. 



Mn hiit gracilis was obtained by the Challenger af station 184, south of New Guinea, 

 at a depth of 1,400 fathoms. 



BARATHRODEMUS, Goode and Bean. 



Baraihrodemus, Goode and IIk.vm, Bull. Mus. Coinp. Zi>;>l.. x, 1883, 200. — Jordan. Cat. Fish. N. Amer., tss. - !, 

 127. — GOnther, Challenger Report, \\n, 1887, 99. 



Brotulids with body much compressed, elevated; head considerably compressed, with 

 mouth moderate (in the type species extending to the vertical through the middle of the 

 eye). Eye moderate. Head spineless, except a short flattened spine at the upper angle 

 of the operculum. Snout long, projecting far beyond the tip of the upper jaw, its extrem- 

 ity much swollen. Jaws nearly equal in front. Teeth minute, in villiform bands on jaws, 

 vomer, and palatines. Barbel, none. Anterior pair of nostrils open and situated at the 

 outer angles of the dilated snout, circular, each surrounded with a cluster of mucous tubes. 

 Posterior nostrils near anterior upper margin of orbit. Gill openings wide, membranes 

 not united. <lills I, with a slit behind the fourth; gill laminae moderate in length, (lill- 

 rakers also moderate; not numerous. Pseudobranchia' absent; caudal fin not connate, 

 lint without distinct peduncle. 



Dorsal and anal tins long. Branchiostogals, s. Body and head covered with small, 

 thin scales, those on the body scarcely imbricated. Lateral line absent. Ventrals a pair 

 of bifid rays close together, on the isthmus. 



