DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AKD THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 201 



reaches to below the anterior margin of the eye; preoperculuui with two spines at the angle; 

 operculum terminatiii};- in two obtuse points, separated by a notch. The dorsal spines are of 

 moderate strength, and tubercular; the second to tlie fiftli are the longest, and as high as 

 the body; the posterior ones gradually decrease in length; caudal forked; anal spines 

 short; pectoral of moderate length. P^ach ventral spine is inserted in advance of the pec- 

 toral; it is tubercular, very long, its length being equal to the height of the body. The 

 vent is situated far backwards, and its distance from the head is more than the length of 

 the latter. Scales apparently none; lateral line bent downwards anteriorly. Uniform sil- 

 very. 



Radial formula: D. IS | 18; A. -f^; Y. 1. 



The specimen described by Giinther is only 2^ inches long, and api)arently young. 



DICROTUS PARVIPINNIS, Goode and Bean, ii. s. (Figure 212.) 



The steamer Albatross captured several examples of a species of Dicrottis in the western 

 Atlantic. One at station 2537, N. lat. 39° 5G' 45", W. Ion. 70° 50' 30"; another at station 

 2542, K. lat. 40^ 00' 15", W. Ion. 70= 42' 20", and a third at station 20J1, N". lat. 34° 39' 

 15", W. Ion. 75° 33' 30" off Cape Hatteras. The first two were obtained in excursions off 

 Newport, R. I. The example fi-om station 2601, measuring nearly 1 inch in length, is 

 referred to in the description, tht^ other two not being at the present time accessible to us. 

 We are led to refer this individual to the genus Dicrotus because of the absence of a dagger- 

 shaped spine behind the vent and because of the similarity in the number of dorsal sijines. 

 we assume that Dicrotus of Giinther is the young of Promethichthys aflanticus. Our spe- 

 cies resembles very strongly the illustration by Dr. Liitken, in "Spolia zVtlantica" of Nea- 

 lotus tripes, and as there is no indication of the presence of a dagger-shaped spine even in 

 an example of nearly 1 inch in length we can not believe that our individual belongs to Nea- 

 lotus; it possesses the characters vi Dicrotus much more nearly and we shall refer to it under 

 that name. The length of the individual described is 21 millimeters to the base of the 

 caudal. The greatest height of the body (3i millimeters) is contained C times in the standard 

 length. The least height of the tail is one-half the length of the eye. The length of the 

 eye is one-half the length of the postorbital iiart of head and somewhat more than one-sixth 

 of the total length of the head. The length of the head (9 millimeters) is contained 2J times 

 in the standard length. Tbe upper jaw reaches to the vertical from the front of the orbit, 

 and the lower jaw to below the beginning of the postorbital third of the orbit. The nostril is 

 placed in front of the eye a distance equal to two-thirds the length of the eye. Three large 

 fangs in the upper jaw, a large faug near the tip of the lower jaw, and 8 smaller teeth. 

 Three weak diverging spines on the border of thepreoperculum. The dorsal originates at a 

 distance behind the eye about etpial to one and one-half times the length of the eye, or about 

 over the middle of the oiiercnlum. The spines are all serrated; the first five are about 

 eqxial, tlieir length nearly (hiumI to that of the postorbital part of the head; they diminish 

 gradually in size from the fifth, and the last is only about one-half as long as the eye. The 

 longest ray is scarcely more than two-thirds as long as the eye. The anal oi-igin is under 

 that of the soft dorsal. The length of the anal base is about one-half that of the snout. 

 The soft dorsal base is not nuich longer than tlie anal base. The first anal spine is one-third 

 as long as the eye; the second spine is one-third as long as the soft dorsal base. The long- 

 est anal ray is two-thirds as long as the eye. The ventral origin is under the sixth spine 

 of tlie dorsal; the spine is strongly serrated; its length equal to tliat of tlie ninth dorsal 

 spine, slightly more than one-eighth of the standard length. The ventral contains, also, 

 either a single bifid ray or two simple rays. The pectoral origin is under the third spine 

 of the dorsal. The length of tlit^ fin is one-fourth tlie Icugtii of the head. The caudal is 

 moderately forked; the middle rays one-half as long as the snout and about two-thii'ds as 

 long as the external rays. 



Radial formula: D. xxi, 11 ; A. ii, S; P. 12; V. i, 1, or i, 2. 



Color silvery; caudal ix'duncle and top of back at base of dorsal brownish. 



