FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 79, NO. 1 



large species having fused teeth 3/2 and a high 

 number, 91-105, of sUme pores (Strahan 1975), 

 seemingly above the range of the western Atlantic 

 species. 



Distribution. — Records of this species along the 

 northern coast of South America indicate it to be 

 widespread in both the Caribbean and the Atlan- 

 tic. 



Etymology. — The name multidens is derived from 

 the Latin mult(us), many, and dens, tooth, in ref- 

 erence to the high tooth count in this species. 



Eptatretus multidens? (Figure 9). — Two speci- 

 mens, MCZ 40409 (331 mm, 23 August 1957, Ore- 

 gon station 1886, 16°55 ' N, 81°12 ' W, depth 500 m, 

 bottom type gray clay) and USNM 218405 (for- 

 merly Department of Biology, University of 

 Panama, no. 523, 364 mm, 5 July 1972, chartered 

 commercial trawler Canopus, locality between 

 Nicaragua and the Colombian border, depth 365 



m), obviously conspecific, are similar to E. multi- 

 dens in tooth count and pattern of fused teeth 

 (3/3). A third record where the specimen cannot be 

 located (MCZ 40218, 16 September 1957, 2100- 

 2200 h, Oregon station 1945, depth 460-550 m) is 

 inferred to belong to the same species. There are, 

 however, important differences in counts of gill 

 apertures, 7-1-7, instead of 6 + 6 as in E. multi- 

 dens, and the slime pores seem to be fewer (Table 

 2). Also, the prebranchial, branchial, and tail pro- 

 portions are longer whereas the trunk appears to 

 be shorter. 



Each of the two specimens has seven pairs of gill 

 pouches. The tongue muscle overlies three or four 

 gill pouches in the USNM specimen and five in the 

 MCZ specimen. In each the aorta branches at the 

 level of the seventh gill pouch. 



It is our belief that when more specimens be- 

 come available it may be necessary to establish 

 this form as a separate species. Until then it is 

 convenient merely to indicate its relationship to 

 E. multidens. 



I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 15 



FIGURE 9.— Eptatretus multidens? (MCZ 40409). Scale in centimeters. 



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