DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 461 



Month oblique, curved, its augle iu the vertical through the frout margin of tin. eyes; 

 length of gape equal to that of snout, ami contained 5 times in tiiat of head. Teetn very 

 feeble. Nostrils tubular, nearer to eye than to tip of snout. 



Dorsal origin in the vertical through middle of eyes; the fin contains 90 I'ays, includ- 

 ing half of caudal, the length of the longest 3i times in gieatest height of body. 



Distance of anal origin from snout i^ times iu total length; the anal contains 7'J rays, 

 and its greatest height is equal to that of the dorsal. 



Length of median caudal rays contained 10 times in total length. 



Distance of ventral origin from snout times in total length; the ventral is separated 

 from the anal by a distance equal to one-third the length of head; its length is contained 

 t-'g times in tliat of head; it consists of 4 rays. 



Color uniform gray, lighter below, the scales above-somewhat metallic in luster. The 

 last fourth of the dorsal has three oblong black blotches somewhat larger than the eye; 

 the anal with four similarly placed. In the young theie is a slight brownish marginal line 

 upon each scale, and an api)earauce of indistinct cloudings of brown n^Jon the colored side. 



Radial formula: D. !)6; A. 79; Y. 4; scales 85-35. 



The species is described from a specimen obtained by the Albatross from station 2414, 

 (lat. 25^ 04' 30" N., Ion. 82^ 59' 15" W. ; depth, 2(j fathoms). Its length is 140 millimeters 

 to base of caudal. The body is somewhat slender, its greatest height (43 millimeters) con- 

 tained 3;\ times in its length without caudal. 



Specimens were also taken by the Albatross from station 2362, in 22° 08' 30" N. lat., 

 86° 53' 30" W. Ion., at a depth of 25 fathoms; from stations 2121, 2122, between lO-^ 37' 40" 

 N. lat., 61'3 42' 40" W. Ion., and 10^ 37' N. lat., 61° 44' 22" W. Ion., at a depth of from 31 

 to 34 fathoms. The Blake also secured examples from station xxiv, off Dominica, and 

 station xxv. 



APHORISTIA PUSILLA, Goode antl Bean. (Figure 379.) 



Aphorislia pvsilla, Goode and Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., viii, 1885, 590. 



The body is .slender, lanceolate, its greatest height contained 3J times in its total 

 length. The scales are small, strongly and sharply denticnlated, 85 to 90' in a longitudinal 

 and 38 in a. transverse series. Jaws and snout entirely covered with scales. 



The length of the head is contained 5 times in total length; the length of the snout in 

 that of the head 5.i times, and equals the diameter of the eye. 



Eyes small, very closely apjiroximated in the same vertical line. The nostril is tubu- 

 lar, placed midway between the lower eye and the tip of the snout. 



Mouth small, obliqne, curved, its posterior angle under the anterior margin of the 

 ]iupil of the lower eye, the h-ngthof its gape iu that of the head 4§ times, in greatest height 

 of body (i'i times. Dentition feeble. 



The dorsal fin begins iu the vertical through the ])U[)ils and is composed of 7S rays; 

 its greatest height is contained 2?^ times in that of body. 



The anal is separateil from the snout by a distance about eqnal to the height of the 

 body, and 7| times the length of the snout. It has 70 rays; its greatest height equals one- 

 third that of body. 



The median caudal rays are .short, their length contained eleven times in total. 



The distance of the ventral from the snout is contained about 4J times in total length 

 of body; its length equals twice the diameter of the eye. Its distance from the anal equals 

 twice the diameter of the eye. 



Color, light brown, with (i or 7 crossbars of slightly darker hue. Blind side light. 



The species is described from a specimen (Cat. No. 28730, U. S. N. M.), 55 millimeters 

 long, taken by the Fish Hawk in 40° 07' 48" N. lat., 70° 45' 54" W. Ion., about 80 fathoms, 

 and a specimen (Cat. No. 28778 TT. S. N. M.), taken by the same vessel in 40° 01' N. lat., 

 09° 50' W. Ion., from oil' Marthas Vineyard, 170 fathoms. 



