Firth and Pequegnat (see footnote 4) suggested a 

 similar pattern for P. crucifer and S. sciitpta but 

 cautioned that other polychelid species may not 

 perform migrations to shallow waters. There was 

 no evidence to support this hypothesis among S. 

 nana or S. sculpta since ovigerous and reproduc- 

 tively mature females occurred within depths of 

 maximum abundance for the species. Lack of sup- 

 port for the hypothesis is also indicated by failure 

 to find any correlation between size of individuals 

 and their depth range. If such migrations occur, 

 larger individuals, such as ovigerous and sexually 

 mature females, would have been found at shal- 

 lower depths. 



Size at sexual maturity for Stereomastis spp. 

 examined in my study agrees with Firth and 

 Pequegnat's (see footnote 4) observations. How- 

 ever, they founds. .s-c(//p/a as small as 18 mm with 

 spermatophores protruding from the genital 

 pores. In the present study, the smallest male in 

 this condition was 32 mm. 



Feeding habits among the Polychelidae are also 

 not resolved. Firth and Pequegnat (see footnote 4) 

 indicated the polychelids are detritus scavengers 

 but Lagardere (1976) found P. typhlops exists by 

 almost exclusive predation on mobile crustacean 

 prey, such as mysids, euphausiids, and pelagic 

 amphipods. He did note, however, presence of 

 benthic polychaetes (Aphroditidae) in several 

 stomachs. Stomach content analysis from the 

 present study is most inconclusive since sediment, 

 detritus, polychaetes, and fish body parts were 

 found. Since polychelids have seldom been seen in 

 bottom photographs and are thought to bury in 

 sediment (Firth and Pequegnat see footnote 4), it 

 appears that a scavenging mode of existence along 

 the bottom is likely forS. nana and S. sculpfa. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



I would like to thank J. Musick for providing 

 ship time through National Science Foundation 

 (NSF) Grants GS-37561 and GS-27725. Special 

 thanks go to F. Perkins and P. Berry for providing 

 histological sections. Information on catches of 

 Stereomastis from the slope off New England were 

 provided by R. Haedrich, G. Rowe, and P. PoUoni 

 (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) under 

 NSF Grant OCE-74-22339. 



This research was completed while the author 

 was recipient of an NSF award (OCE-77-05698) 

 for support of doctoral dissertation research in bio- 

 logical oceanography. 



444 



FISHERY BULLETIN VOL. 77. NO, 2 



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