DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 105 



Family ASTRONESTHID,,^. 



Astronesthidw, Gill, MS. 



Stomatoid fishes, with adipose dorsal present, and scaleless body. Dorsal lin inserted 

 behiml vent, but in front of anal. (GUI, MS.) 



ASTRONESTHES, Richardson. 



Astronesthes, Richardson Voy. Sulph., Ichtli., 1845, 97.— GCntheh, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., v, 424. 

 Phainodus, Lowe, Proc. Zoiil. Soc. London, 1850, 250. 



Body rather elongate, compressed, scaleless. Head compressed, the snout .short, the 

 mouth wide. Teeth pointed, unequal. Upper jaw with 4 long, curved canines; lower 

 with 2; maxillary teeth fine, subequal; palatines with a single series of small, pointed 

 teeth, sinular to those on tongue. Eye moderate. Throat with a baibel. Dorsal fin long, 

 in.serted in front of anal, behind ventrals; adipose fin present; caudal forked; paired fins 

 well developed. Gill rakers minute. No pseudobrauchiae. No air bladder. Lower parts 

 with phosphorescent spots. (Jordan and Gilbert.) 



ASTRONESTHES NIGER, RicnARDSO.\. (Figure 123.) 



Astrnneslhes nigra, Richardson, Voy. Suljih., Ichth. 97, pi. 50, figs. 1-3. 

 Ash-onesthes niger, Gunther, Cat. Fisli. Brit. Mus., v, 425. 

 Stomias Fieldii, CuviER ami Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xxii, 378. 

 Chauliodiis Fieldii, CuviER and Valenciennes, I. c, xxu, 389. 

 PIuenodoH ringens, LoWE, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1850, 251. 



Black, with about 22 luminous spots between chin and ventrals. Barbel a little longer 

 than head. Dorsal beginning just behind base of ventrals; i^ectoral not reaching nearly 

 to ventrals. Jaws equal. Eye large, well forward. 



Radial formula: Head 4; depth 5i. D. 17; A. 14. 



This species is represented in the national collection by only a .single specimen (No. 

 34538, U. S. N. M.), the tye of Chauliodus Fieldii, G. and V., obtained by ( 'apt. Field, in May, 

 1819, on a voyage from Mogador to New York, probably at the surface. This specimen 

 passed from the hands of Dr. Mitchill to those of Mr. J. Carson Brevoort, then to Blr. E. 

 G. Blackford, by whom it was presented to the National Museum. 



ASTRONESTHES GEMMIFER, Goode and Bean, n. s. (Figure 124.) 



Length of head contained 4i times in the total (without caudal); its depth 8 times, and 

 the depth of the body 5J times. Barbel about equal in length to the head. Origin of the 

 dorsal fin a little nearer tip of snout than root of caudal; length of its base contained 

 nearly 4 times in the total (without caudal) ; its longest ray two-thirds the length of the 

 head. Ventral origin directly under the dorsal origin; length of the ventral contained 5 J 

 times in the total (without caudal); it does not nearly reach to the vent. The distance of 

 the anal origin ti-om the root of the caudal is a little more than one-fourth of total length 

 (without caudal). Eye longer than snout; one-fourth as long as the head. Pectoral is 

 nearly one-seventh as long as body (without caudal). 



Radial formula: D. 17; A. 17; V. 7; P. 9. 



The tj^ae of this species (No. 24C45, TJ. S. N. M.), about 7J inches in length, was taken 

 from a halibut's stomach, January 26, 1890, by the schooner Polar ^Yltve, in 44° 25' N. lat., 

 530 12' W. Ion. The halibut was taken in about 300 fathoms. 



This species may possibly prove identical with A. niger. The limits of variation of the 

 fin rays in this genus has not been determined for lack of sufiicient material. The species 

 has 17 anal rays and numerous gem-like dots on the lower part of the body, there being 

 about 30 in the series from the symjihysis of the mandible to the ventral. 



