58 



DISCOVERY REPORTS 



with 26 to 28 rays, f to nearly f length of head, extending to above vent or anterior 

 rays of anal ; pelvics much shorter, not nearly reaching vent. Caudal emarginate, its 

 angles rounded. Yellowish brown; body with dark blotches or irregular cross-bars; 

 a dark line from the snout to the eye, thence obliquely downwards across the opercles ; 

 all fins more or less dusky, except the anal, which is pale ; distal parts of pelvics black. 



Fig. 34. Gerlachea australis. Holotype. x f . 



Hab. Graham Land; Charcot Land; Queen Mary Land: in deep water. 



Through the courtesy of Dr V. Van Straelen, I have been able to examine the 

 holotype of this species preserved in the Musee Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique. 

 This is 180 mm. in total length and is in excellent condition. It was taken by the 

 'Belgica' at 71° 14' S, 89° 14' W, at a depth of 450 metres. The 'Pourquoi Pas?' 

 obtained 4 examples^ from 70° 10' S, 80° 50' W, at a depth of 450 metres, one of 

 which (in a poor state of preservation) has been examined by me in the Paris Museum. 

 The 'Aurora' obtained a single example, 208 mm. in length, from 64° 44' S, 97° 28' E, 

 at a depth of 670 metres. 



The extent to which the lower lateral line is developed seems to be somewhat 

 variable. In the holotype it appears to be represented by about 18 scales on the left 

 side, whereas, on the right side it is longer and is represented by at least 30 scales. 

 Roule, Angel and Despax remark that in the specimens obtained by the 'Pourquoi 

 Pas?' this lateral line is unequally developed on the two sides of the same fish, and 

 Waite records the same condition in his example. 



Three of the specimens taken by the 'Pourquoi Pas?' in January were mature 

 females, and contained large eggs, varying in size from 2-5 to 3 mm. 



Genus RACOVITZIA 



Racovitzia, Dollo, 1900, Bull. Acad. roy. Belg. (Classe Set.), No. 3, p. 317. Type Racovitzia 



glacialis, Dollo. 

 Racovitzaia, Dollo, 1904, Res. Voy. 'Belgica', Zool., Poiss., p. 28; Regan, 1913, t.c, p. 283 



[emend, pro Racovitzia]. 

 Aconichthys, Waite, 1916, Austral. Antarct. Exped. Sci. Rep., Ser. C, iii (i), Fishes, p. 30. Type 

 Aconichthys harrissoni, Waite. 

 Related to Bathydraco, but with three lateral lines (except in the young), the upper 

 always present and running near the base of the dorsal fin, the short middle one on the 

 side of the caudal peduncle, and the short lower one above the base of the posterior 

 1 One of these specimens has now been received in exchange from the Paris Museum : this is also in a very 

 poor state of preservation. 



