FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 71, NO. 2 



Figure 6. — Hepomadus tener. Petasma: A. Dorsal view of left half, </ 35.5 mm c.l., SE of Cabo Rojo, Veracruz. B. Ventral 



view of same petasma. 



Figure 7. — Hepomadus tener. Appendices masculina 

 and interna: A. Dorsal view of right appendix 

 masculina and proximal part of endopod, </ 35.5 mm 

 c.l., SE of Cabo Rojo, Veracruz. B. Ventral view, 

 inclined slightly mesad, of appendices interna and 

 masculina of same specimen. 



Distribution 



Off the Atlantic coast of the United States, 

 from New Jersey southward, through the Sar- 

 gasso Sea, to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean 

 Sea, H. tener has been found at depths from 765 

 m (Roberts and Pequegnat, 1970) to about 5,400 

 m. This is the first time this species has been 

 reported from the Caribbean, where it is widely 

 distributed. 



There are only two records of H. tener from 

 localities outside the western Atlantic. Wood- 

 Mason and Alcock (1891) questionably identified 

 a much damaged female from the Bay of Bengal 

 in 2,396 m. Later, Alcock (1901) apparently 

 referring to the same specimen stated that the 

 depth was 2305 m, and indicated that the 

 epipod of the somite XIII consists of a tiny 

 filament. This identification needs confirmation 

 because the epipod is small, subrectangular and 

 lamelliform in the western Atlantic material, 

 as Burkenroad (1936) observed. 



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