88 BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF PE- 

 DICULATE FISHES (HALIEUTELLA LAPPA). 



BY G. BROWN GOODE AND TARLETON H. BEAN. 



(Read March 8, 1884.) 

 HALIEUTELLA, new genus. 



Body maltheiform, subcircular, depressed, its width equal to its length ; covered 

 with flaccid, inflatable skin. Spines feeble and less numerous than in Halietttaa. 

 Head merged in body ; forehead with a transverse bony ridge ; no perceptible 

 supraoral cavity ; no tentacle. Mouth small, terminal ; lower jaw slightly curved 

 forward. Teeth in the jaws minute, cardiform ; not discernible on palate, though 

 possibly present. Carpus broad, slightly exserted. Pectoral fins remote 'from 

 tail, obliquely placed, with membranes subvertical. Branchial aperture posterior 

 to carpus, upon the disk, and not remote from its margin. Dorsal fin 5-rayed, 

 inserted at junction of disk with caudal peduncle. Anal fin 4-rayed, originating 

 at root of caudal peduncle. 



Halieutella lappa, new species. 



Disk subcircular, more than two- thirds as long as the body. Body covered 

 with a loose, flaccid, inflatable skin, which so obscures its proportions that it is 

 impossible to determine its exact height, but it is not nearly so much depressed as 

 in the related genera. When the body is inflated the height and length of the 

 disk are nearly equal. 



Spines rather feeble ; about ten between snout and dorsal fin. About six 

 strong spines, with conical bases and stellular tips on the outer margin of the disk 

 on each side, the anterior of them being opposite the eye. In front of these 

 spines on the discal margin, and between them and the snout, are several small, 

 simple spines, pointing backward. Belly armed with spines similar to those on 

 the back, but weaker. A stellate spine upon the tip of the snout, with two 

 weaker, simple spines on each side. Nasal openings midway between eye and 

 tip of snout. Mouth small, upon the margin of the disk. The upper jaw is 

 shorter than the diameter of the eye. Teeth as described in the generic diagnosis. 

 Dorsal fin inserted at posterior limit of disk, with five simple, articulated rays, 

 its longest ray one-fifth as long as the disk. Anal fin with four simple, articu 

 lated rays, inserted directly beneath the fourth ray of the dorsal; its second, and 

 longest, ray one-fourth as long as the disk. Caudal twice as long as anal and 

 slightly longer than caudal peduncle, with nine simple, articulated rays. Car 

 pus inserted at a distance from the snout equal to twice the length of the long 

 est pectoral ray, which is slightly greater than the distance of posterior margin 

 of carpus, at its junction with disk, from vent. Number of pectoral rays, 15. 

 Ventral inserted at a point equidistant from the snout and the origin of the anal ; 

 length of its longest ray (the fourth) equal to one-half the distance of the anal fin 

 from the snout. Number of ventral rays, 5. D. 5 ; A. 4; C. 9; P. 15 ; V. 5. 



A single specimen, i^ inches long, was dredged by the U. S. Fish Commis 

 sion steamer Fish Hawk at station 1151, north latitude 39 58' 30", west longi 

 tude 70 37 / , in a depth of 125 fathoms. Color, yellowish white. 



