166 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 9 



Measurements of holotype in mm. — Standard length 67.5, depth 4, 

 head 7, predorsal length 11.5, preanal length 33, anal opening to caudal 

 base 34.5, preventral length 7, ventral base to anal opening 25.6, snout 

 1.2, eye 0.6. 



Description. — Body elongate, compressed, especially posteriorly, 

 depth 16.9 in standard length. Tail slightly longer than head and trunk, 

 1.95 in standard length. Body nearly equal in depth anteriorly, tapering 

 slightly toward caudal base from anal opening. 



Head short, 9.64 in standard length. Dorsal and ventral outlines 

 almost evenly rounded anteriorly. Mouth small, oblique (45° from 

 horizontal), reaching to beneath edge of eye. Lower jaw projecting; 

 lips fleshy, with lateral membranous flanges, free edges of the flanges 

 confined to sides of the mouth. Eyes small, lateral, high on head, 11.6 

 in head. Interorbital narrow, wider than eye, 7 in head. Nostrils paired, 

 anterior nostrils tubular, placed close to the tip of the snout. Posterior 

 nostrils larger, in front of and slightly above the eye. Teeth small, even, 

 slightly flattened, in two irregular rows in the jaws. Teeth absent on 

 vomer and palatines. Gill-openings restricted to sides, extending down- 

 ward and forward from slightly below upper edge of pectoral base to 

 slightly below and anterior to lowest pectoral ray. 



Dorsal 51, long and low, no marked differentiation between spines 

 and rays, its origin slightly behind tip of pectoral fin. Predorsal length 

 5.86 in standard length. Last dorsal ray joined by membrane to caudal 

 base. Anal fin 33, similar to dorsal, its last ray also joined to the caudal. 

 Origin of anal slightly behind m.id-point of standard length. Preanal 

 length 2.04 in standard length. Pectoral fin 12, edge of fin rounded. 

 Caudal fin rounded. Ventral fin I, 3, inserted beneath gill-openings. 

 Ventral spine minute, lying close to base of first ray. Preventral length 

 9.64 in standard length. Ventral base to anal opening 2.64 in standard 

 length. Body and head, except for snout and sides of lower jaw, covered 

 with minute, imbedded, nonimbricated scales. 



Color in alcohol light brown dorsally to mid-line of sides, becoming 

 rather abruptly lighter ventrally. Head dorsally a continuation of body 

 color, becoming lighter toward tip of snout. All fins pale. 



Comparison. — In Reid's synopsis of the genus and family (Reid, 

 1936), the new species falls almost midway between his two main divi- 

 sions, which are based on the position of the vent, either anterior or pos- 

 terior to the middle of the standard length. M. reidi actually has the 

 vent very slightly nearer the tip of the snout than the caudal base. It 

 appears to fall close to hildebrandi and intermedins. To judge from 



