SCOPELARCHIDAE— PARALEPIDIDAE 315 



KEY TO THE SCOPELARCHIDAE 



I. Origin of dorsal fin in front of insertions of pelvic fins. Scopelarchus Alcock 



Other generic characters: Short bodied, greatest height of body from 17 to 25 per cent of standard 

 length ; number of vertebrae from 41 to 48 (41 in S. cavei; 46 in S. guentheri and 48 in S. nicliolsi) ; number 

 of scales in lateral line 43-50. * Pectoral rays 19-23. 



A. Pelvic fins longer than pectorals and extending beyond origin of anal fin. Fin-rays: D. 6-7, A. 21-23, 

 Pect. 20-22. Pv. 9 S. nicholsi (Parr) 



Distribution. Gulf of California, off west coasts of Mexico and Central America. 



B. Pelvic fins shorter than pectorals and not reaching origin of anal fin 



b 1. Number of scales along lateral line 43. Fin-rays: D. 9, A. 21, Pect. 21, Pv. 9 S. cavei sp.n. 



b 2. Number of scales along lateral line 48-50. Fin-rays: D. 7-9, A. 23-26, Pect. 19-21, Pv. 9 



S. guentheri Alcock 



Synonyms:. Dissomma anale Brauer (1902 and 1908), Odontostomus perarmatus Roule, (1916) 

 Distribution. Atlantic Ocean, east of Bouvet Island, Indian Ocean, East Indian Archipelago. 



II. Origin of dorsal fin behind insertions of pelvic fins. Neoscopelarchoides Chapman 



Other generic characters: long-bodied, greatest height of body from 10 to 17-5 per cent of standard length 

 (number of vertebrae 57 in N. dubius, 61 in N. elongatus). Number of scales in lateral line 56-64 (scales not 

 formed in the holotype and two paratypes of N. linguidens). Pectoral rays 21-27. 



A. Pectoral fins less than half-length of pelvic fins ; caudal peduncle from 20 to 25 per cent of standard length. 

 Fin-rays: D. 6-7, A. 17-21, Pect. 22-25, ^ v - 9 N - dentatus Chapman 



Distribution : Gulf of Alaska ; off Central California. 



B. Pectoral fins equal to, or considerably more than, half the length of pelvic fins (these fins about equal in 

 length in N. elongatus, while in linguidens and dubius the pectorals are about three-quarters the length of 

 the pelvics). Caudal peduncle from 11 to 15 per cent of standard length. 



b 1. Length of pelvic fin more than one-quarter of standard length. Fin-rays: D. 9, A. 21, Pect. 27, Pv. 9 



N. dubius sp.n. 

 b 2. Length of pelvic fins considerably less than one-quarter of standard length. 



(i) Pectoral fins with 21-22 rays. Fin-rays: D. 8-9, A. 26-27, Pect. 21-22, Pv. 9 

 Distribution. Off Kerguelen Island; Falklands-Magellan Strait region. 



N. elongatus (Norman) 

 (ii) Pectoral fins with 25-27 rays. Fin-rays: D. 9-10, A. 28, Pect. 25-27, Pv. 9-10 



N. linguidens (Mead and Bohlke) 



The Family PARALEPIDIDAE 

 Macroparalepis molestus sp.n. 

 (Text-fig. 5.) 



Holotype. An individual 146 mm. in standard length, taken in a 2 m. net during an experimental 

 haul near station 2209 (53 077' S, 168 56-4' E), near Campbell Island, south of New Zealand. 

 27. i. 38. 2000 m. wire. 



Proportions in hundredths of the standard length (146 mm.). Greatest depth of body 4-1 ; length of 

 head 16-1 ; length of snout 8-2; horizontal diameter of eye 2-7 ; width of bony interorbital i-8; length of 

 lower jaw 9-5; length from tip of snout to origin of dorsal fin 63-0; snout to pelvic fin 497; snout to 

 anal fin 787 ; length of pectoral fins 7-5 ; length of pelvic fin 4-8 ; depth of caudal peduncle 2-0 ; length 

 of caudal peduncle 5-1. 



Fin-rays. D. 12 (last ray bifid), A. 30, Pect. 12, Pv. 9. 



1 Counted from upper angle of operculum to caudal flexure. 



