70 DEEP-SEA FISHES OF THE ATLANTIC BASIN. 



This species is named in honor of the late Dr. David Humphreys Storer, in token of 

 our appreciation of the distinguished services of this pioneer of American ichthyology. • 



Family MYCTOPHID.^. 



Scnpelini, Muller, 1813. — Jordan & Gilhert, Bull., xvi, U. S. Nat. Mus., 279. 



Scopelidtv, GiRARi), R(Ap. P. U. K. Survey, \, 18.58, 328.— Gunthek, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., v., 1867, 328. 



Myctophido!, Gill, MS. 



Body oblong or moderately elongate, compressed (except in Scopelo.saunis), covered 

 with scales, which are usually cycloid. Mouth wide, the entire margin of the upper jaw 

 formed by the long and slender premaxillaries, closely adherent to wliich are the slender 

 maxillaries. Teeth various, mostly villiform, and in bands in the .jaw; also pterygoids, 

 palatines, and tongue; also on vomer in adults. No barbels. Gill membranes separate, 

 free. Branchiostegals, 8-10. Pseudobranchia; well developed. Gill rakers long and 

 slender. Lateral line present, the scales prominent and often enlarged. Cheeks and 

 opercles scaly. Adi^iose tin i)resent. Dorsal tin short, median, of soft rays. Pectorals 

 and veutrals present. Aual tin moderate. Caudal forked. Air bladder small. Intestinal 

 canal short. Sides scaly, with phosphorescent sjiots. 



For convenience of study and comparison, it would seem somewhat desirable that the 

 forms now usually grouped under the great jjolymorphous genus Scoju'his, should be divideil 

 into minor groups. We have, therefore, proposed the provisional plan formulated in the 

 accompanying key. Some of the groups are probably of subgeneric value. 



Since the completion of our study of this family, two important papers have appeared: 

 the first by Dr. Fed. Kaflaele, published in the "Mittheilungen" of the Zoological Station 

 at Naples in 188'J, and secondly, Dr. Liitken's masterly and exhaustive paper on the Scope- 

 lids of the Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen, forming jiart 2 of "Spolia 

 Atlantica," printed in the Memoirs of the Eoyal Academy of Sciences and Letters of Den- 

 mark, sixth series, Vol. vii, part 6, Copenhagen, 1892. 



The first of these papers announced an important new system of discriminating between 

 the species of fishes formerly grouped in the genus SvopeliDi, based upon the arrangement 

 of the luminous spots, which were classified by the author in eight groups. 



At the time when Dr. Kaffaele's pa])er was brought to our attention, our book was being 

 put in tyije, so that, beyond reference to it in the synonymy, it was impossible to utilize the 

 work of the author, for it became evident that if his plan were adopted it would necessitate 

 an entire rev'ision of our plan of classification, and while it seemed to be full of suggestions 

 we were not yet satisfied as to the extent of the usefulness of the proposed new plan. 



The publication of Liitken's work has, however, rendered it necessary to completely 

 revise our o])inions upon the relations of the species. A review of the group in the light 

 of Liitken's conclusions convinced us that the arrangement of the luminous spots is of the 

 greatest value in the classification of these fishes. 



MYCTOPHUM, Rafinesque. 



Myctophum, Rafinesque, Indice d'lttiologia Siciliana, 1810, 56; type, Myctophiim piinctaliim, Raf. — Bona- 

 parte, Faun. Ital., Pesci, fasc. xxvu. 



Nyetoj)hii8, Cocco, Giorn. Sicil. 1829, 44 (iucl. M. metopoclampus) Lett, su Salmon, (iuil. 1. X. liufinencjiiei; 2. 

 N. Metopoclampus; 3. ..V. Gemelarii; N. Bonapartii). 



Scopeliis, CuviER, Regne Animal, ed. 2d, 1817, ll, 169 (type, 5. Humboldti). — 6t)NTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., 

 V. 404 fpart). 



Body oblong, compressed, covered -with cycloid scales, those in the lateral line not much 

 enlarged. Head short, compressed, with limb of preoperculum nearly vertical. Mouth 

 large, the jaws about equal; premaxillaries long and slender; maxillaries well developed. 

 Snout more or less blunt and declivous. Teeth in villiform bands on jaws, palatines, ptery- 

 goids and tongue. Eye large. Gill rakers long and slender. Branchiostegals, 7-16. Air- 

 bladder, small. Pyloric ca;ca, few. PseudobrauchiiE, large. Dorsal tin entirely in front 



