76 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Zeus. In reviewing the available information, Fange (1953) suggests that such cells may be quite 

 common among euphysoclists. But the two genera in the first group of deep-sea fishes appear to be 

 unique in having glands that are largely composed of giant cells. In Vinciguerria these cells may be 

 as much as 100// in depth, a striking contrast to the 10-15^ cells of the gas-gland of Diaphus dofleini, 

 which are disposed in several layers to a depth of about 200^. The gas-gland of Vinciguerria is also 

 remarkable in two other ways, the first being that the greater part of the contact between the giant 



B 



Text-fig. 37. Three types of gas-glands in bathypelagic fishes; (a) consisting mostly of giant cells {Vinciguerria), with intra- 

 cellular capillaries; (b) with medium-sized cells (Polyipnus), and (c) with small cells (Myctophidae). The base of the cell of 

 Vinciguerria is 170/1 in length, while the cell of Polyipnus fitting into the U-bend of a capillary is about 50//. wide. The 

 cells of Myctophum are from 10 to 17/* in length along their longer axes, ic, intracellular capillary ; pec, pericapillary cytoplasm. 



cells and the capillaries supplying them is within the cytoplasm. Secondly, these intracellular 

 capillaries connect with one another through fine canals in the cytoplasm, the lumen of the canals 

 being little more than ifi across, too fine to admit the elliptical red blood corpuscles, which are about 

 6-8 n long and 2-3^ wide. 



A number of workers (see Fange, 1953) have observed that the cytoplasm around the capillaries 

 stains differently from the remaining cell contents. I have also seen this in the gas-glands of Argyro- 

 peleats, Polyipnus, Vinciguerria, Maurolicus, Cyclothone and Opisthoproctus . After staining with 



