maxillary lies under the lachrymal. The distal end 

 of the maxillai-y extends at least to the midpoint 

 of the snout and in some specimens farther. The 

 jaws are bi'oadly rounded; the lower, which often 

 has a slightly bony protuberance at the symphy- 

 sis, is included. The palatine and the head of the 

 vomer bear small, closely spaced, needlelike teeth, 

 in a continuous band 2 to 5 teeth wide, about 

 55 on the head of the vomer and 70 on each pala- 

 tine; no dentary teeth. The ceratobranchial of the 

 fifth gill arch bears 8 small, conical teeth; two 

 patches of similar teeth, 10 on the anterior patch 

 and l-i on the posterior patch, are found at the 

 anterior end of the fourth suprabranchial. The 

 tongue bears eight strong, recurved teetli (descrip- 

 tion of dentition based on a single alizarin speci- 

 men). The gill rakers are medium-sized, widely 

 spaced, and compressed at the base. The longest 

 gill rakers are equal to one-seventh to one-eighth 

 of the interorbital distance. 



The pectoral fin originates on the dorso-lateral 

 curve of the body close to the level of the posterior 

 margin of the opercle. The distance between the 

 innermost rays of the pectoral fins is generally 

 less than the least dei^tli of the caudal peduncle. 

 The pectoral fin extends at least half the distance 

 from the pectoral origin to the ventral fin origin. 



The scales are deciduous and lack spines. Scale 

 pocket counts are difficult on this soft-bodied fish ; 

 however, we estimate about 48 lateral line scales. 



The peritoneum is pepi^ered with large, dark 

 chromatophores ; however, they are not so densely 

 distributed that they give the peritoneum a com- 

 pletely black appearance. The gut is immaculate. 

 Eight to 10 pyloric caeca are present in 12 speci- 

 mens; many body cavities are heavily invested 

 with fat. The swimbladder usually begins slightly 

 anterior to the hind curve of the stomach and 

 terminates slightly beyond the origin of the ventral 

 fins. Six specimens of about one hundred had 

 silvery swimbladders; otherwise, bladders lack 

 pigment. 



Pigmentation of adult specimens preserved in 

 formaldehyde solution is a light straw color below 

 the lateral line, somewhat dai'ker along the upper 

 third of the body. The duskiness is not contiiuious 

 over the dorsum. Many examples cany 8 to 12 in- 

 distinct dusky blotches on tlie upper part of the 

 body. The throat, breast, and belly are unpig- 

 mented (fig. 10), although a few specimens have 



a light sprinkling of chromatophores at the bases 

 of the i>ectoral and ventral fins. The i^eritoneum 

 shows through the midventral line in some 

 specimens. 



Distribution 



A. bnicel has been taken on the north coasts of 

 Hispaniola and Puerto Eico; off Jamaica, Hon- 

 duras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama; and 

 along the north coast of South America. It has also 

 been trawled at several localities off the mouths of 

 the Orinoco. 



Depth distribution ranges from 100 to 300 fm. 

 (183-549 m.) ; however, the fish has been most 

 often caught between 100 and 230 fm. (183^21 

 m.). 



Habits 



A. brucei has been taken only with a bottom 

 trawl, over a mud bottom, at bottom temperatures 

 ranging from 50° to 64° F. (10°-17.8° C). The 

 fish is caught more often in aggregations than 

 singly. A. bnicei has been taken in mixed collec- 

 tions with all three of the other tropical western 

 Atlantic sjDecies, striata, georgei, and stewarti, 

 though with only one at a time. 



Name 



Named for the well-known ichthyologist Bruce 

 B. Collette, who helped collect many of the speci- 

 mens upon which this description is based. 



Study Material 



All from the Atlantic. Holotype: USNM 203029, 

 117 mm. standard length; Oregon 3584, 9°13' N., 

 81°30' W., 200 fm. (366 m.). May 25, 1962. 

 Paratypes: 



Central America.— V?>^M. 187817 (3 specimens), 

 Oregon 3595, 9°02' N., 81°26' W., 100 fm. (183 m.). 

 USNM 187789 (16) and TABL 100571 {&); Oregon 

 3598, 9°03' N., 81°22' W., 200 to 220 fm. (366-402 

 m.). USNM 203047 (5); Oregon 3597, 9°04' N., 

 81°25' W., 150 to 160 fm. (274-293 m.). USNM 

 187833 (7); Oregon 3585, 9°12' N., 81°30' W., 135 

 to 140 fm. (247-256 m.). USNM 187837 (1); 

 Oregon 3584, data as for holotype. USNM 187753 

 (1); Oregon 3590, 9°1S' N., 80°22' W., 125 fm. 

 (229 m.). USNM 200429 (5, 1 cleared and stained) ; 

 Oregon 5738, 9°14' N., 79°07' W., 120 fm. (220 m.). 

 USNM 188016 (b); Oregon 3610, 12°23' N., S2°29' 

 W., 200 fm. (366 m.). USNM 203031 (4); Oregon 

 3574, 12°31' N., 82°21' W., 200 fm. (366 m.). 

 USNM 187793 (7); Oregon 3570, 14°08' N., 



32 



U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



