738 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



371 Ogcocephalus vespertilio (Lmnaeus) 



Batfish; Malthe 



LopMiis vespertilio Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. eel. X, I, 236, 1758. 



Malthaea vespertilio Cuviek & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XII, 440^ 



1837; De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 167. 1842. 

 Malthe vespertilio Gunthee, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ill, 200, 1861; Jordan & 



Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 850, 1883. 

 Ogcocephalus vespertilio Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 



Ill, 2737, 1898; IV, pi. CCCXCII, figs. 958, 958a, 958b. 1900; Bean, 



Science, N. S. IX, no. 211, 8, 1899. 



Anterior half of body (the head), between eyes and gill open- 

 ings, much depressed and broadened, the greatest width in front 

 of gill openings equaling distance from tip of rostral process to 

 gill openings or about half length of entire fish; from gill open- 

 ings to caudal the body is rounded, tapering to the tail; the 

 width of the body at the vent equals one third of the width 

 at gill openings; forehead produced in a subconic process of vary- 

 ing length, its length measured from eye being contained six 

 and one half times or more in total length without caudal; mouth 

 small, inferior; jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of villi- 

 form teeth. D. 4; A. 4; V. I, 5. 



Color dark gray and brown, often varying from almost black 

 to light gray and orange. 



The batfish is a West Indian species, ranging north to the 

 Florida Keys, and has been taken at least once in the harbor of 

 New York. It grows to a length of 12 inches. De Kay did not 

 meet with this fish on the coast of New York, but he copies the 

 description of Cuvier and Valenciennes. In the midsummer of 

 1854 or 1855, Dr Theodore Gill saw an individual of this species, 

 which was recently caught at a wharf at the foot of 27th st. 

 East river, New York. No record of its occurrence was pub- 

 lished, but the writer noted this circumstance in Science, Jan. 13^ 

 1899, n. s. V. 9. 



