DISCUSSION OP SPECIES AND THEIK DISTRIBUTION. 465 



."> from station 2388, Albatross; 2 young examples from Albatross station 2404; l young 



from station U lot;, and 2 young ones IV station 2 In" . 



The types of the description are the specimens from station 2362, N. lat. 22 08 30 ', 

 W. Ion. 86 53' 30", from 25 fathoms, off Cape Oatoche, Yucatan. The other localities are 



as follows: station 2388, N.lat.29 24'30", W. Ion. ss or, from35fath s, Gulf of Mexico; 



station 2404, N. lat. 28< 14', W. Ion. 85 Hi. from (id fathoms, Gulf of Mexico ; station 2406, 

 N. lat. 28 Hi , W. Ion. 84° 1!)', from 26 fathoms, Gulf of Mexico; station 2407, N. lat. 28 

 17 30 .W. Ion. si 37', from 24 fathoms, Gulf of Mexico, 



PRIONOTUS EGRETTA, Goods and Id w. n. b. (Figure 381.) 



The standard length, which i.s the total length without the caudal, is ion millimeters. 

 The body is rather slender, rapidly tapering posteriorly. The greatest height, which is at 

 the ventrals (23 millimeters), is contained 1A times in the standard length. The least height 

 of the tail (7 millimeters) equals half the length of the intermaxillary. The head is moder- 

 ately long, ils greatest length (40 millimeters) contained 25j times in the standard length. 

 The snout docs not-deseend so abruptly as in /'. militarius and is without projections from 

 the front. Its length (17 millimeters) is half the length of the ventral. The width of the 

 interorbital space (<i millimeters) equals half the long diameter of the eye (11' millimeters). 

 The length of the eye is contained 3J times in that of the head. The spines of the head are 

 moderately strong and are without subsidiary basal spines. The length of the spine at the 

 angle of the preopereuluin is nearly equal to that of the opercular spine, and is nearly half 

 the length of the snout. The exposed edges of the bones of the head are minutely serrated, but 

 the teeth at the end of the snout are slightly enlarged. Humeral spine small, nuchal spines 

 not well developed. One or two spines at the front of the supraorbital and two or three at its 

 posteiioi portion. About 9 developed gill rakers on the anterior arch; the longest of them 

 about 2 millimeters in length. Teeth in villiform bands in the jaws and on the vomer and 

 palate. The vomerine band very narrow. The length of the maxilla (14 millimeters) nearly 

 one-third the length of the head. The length of the mandible (17 millimeters) equals 

 the length of the snout. The mandible reaches nearly to the vertical from the front of the 

 eye. A very slight groove across the nape immediately behind the eyes continued down 

 ward by an interspace between the preopercle and operele. The distance of the dorsal 

 from the tip of the snout (39 millimeters) is about equal to the length of the head. The 

 base of the spinous dorsal (24 millimeters) equals the length of the head without the snout; 

 the first spine is coarsely serrated for the first sixth of its length, and is produced into a 

 filament, which extends beyond the end of the caudal when laid back, making the length 

 of the first spine (117 millimeters) greater than the standard length of the fish; several of 

 the succeeding spines are also weakly seriated on their anterior margin. The length of 

 the second spine (22 millimeters) nearly equal to that of the base of the fin. The last three 

 spines are very small. The first ray of the second dorsal is also serrated on its anterior 

 margin; the rays greatly increase in size posteriorly to the ninth, which is nearly one-half as 

 long as the head. The base of the second dorsal (28 millimeters) is twice as long as the 

 maxilla. The caudal is somewhat emarginate, the length of the middle rays (2G millimeters) 

 a trifle longer than the base of the spinous dorsal. The anal origin is almost directly under 

 that of the second dorsal. The length of the spine (7 millimeters) is about two-thirds that 

 of the first ray. The anal lays increase in length posteriorly, the length of the ninth (14 

 millimeters) being one-half of the base of the second dorsal. The length of the pectoral 

 (34 millimeters) is less than the length of the head; the tin when extended reaches to the 

 vertical from the fourth ray of the second dorsal. The longest separate ray of the pectoral 

 •(28 millimeters) is as long as the base of the second dorsal. The shortest separate ray (20 

 millimeters) is one half the length of the head. Ventral when extended reaches to the 

 origin of the anal. The scales arc very small, about 9 rows between the origin of the sec- 

 ond dorsal and the lateral line, and about 32 rows between the lateral line and the vent. 

 About 60 tubes in the lateral line; nearly 100 oblique TOWS can be counted between the head 

 and the caudal fin. 



19868— No. 2 30 





