6 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



in both the new specimen and that of Regan, and they have a very similar appearance in both. They are 

 small tubular nostrils, and take the form of a pair of flattened, somewhat elongate sacs, each opening by 

 a small pore, and appearing as a tag of black skin, 0-9 cm. long, a little above the level of the eye and 

 just behind the distal end of the maxillary (Fig. 1 A). 



The lateral line system of the new specimen has been followed only in the head region, where it forms 

 a curving line of small black papillae arranged in a single, regularly spaced row. It begins at the tip of 

 the lower jaw and runs downwards and backwards to curve up again and extend half-way across the 

 smooth region of the gill covering. A little distance from its beginning on the lower jaw, the lateral 

 line sends a short branch, with relatively few papillae, as far as the articulation of the jaw (PI. I). The 

 older authors (Lutken, 1878 ; Gill, 1878) have denied the existence of a lateral line among the Ceratioidea. 

 Gunther (1887) mentions pores, scattered over the skin of ' C. uranoscopus' and ' C. caruncidatus\ which 

 secrete luminous mucus; these may be referred to the lateral line. Later, Regan & Trewavas (1932) 

 described the various modifications of the lateral line organs of Ceratioids, and classified the Ceratndae 



Fig. 





A B 



1. Ceratias holbolli Kroyer. Upper part of the head showing the eyes and nostrils. (In the Antarctic specimen the eye 

 is subcutaneous; its position is indicated by a pecked circle above the 'eyeless window'.) A. Antarctic specimen, x f. 

 B. ' Mancalias bifilis', x 12. 



with four other families as possessing ' organs on stalks '. Each papilla of the new specimen is a flattened 

 tag with a broad, pear-shaped outline. The tip bears the white organ mentioned by Regan & Trewavas. 

 This form, although nearest to the 'organs on tags', does not fit any category of their classification. 

 Waterman (1939&) was likewise unable to classify the tagged lateral line organs of his small holotype of 

 Gigantoctis longicirra. It is possible that the form of the papillae in the various genera may undergo 

 ontogenetic changes of which the classification takes no account. No superficial groove or subcutaneous 

 canal could be found connecting the papillae in the new specimen. The special significance of the 

 lateral line in Ceratias will be discussed later. 



The anus and urogenital aperture of the new specimen open upon an area of naked slatey-blue skin 

 which is raised somewhat from the body surface. The urogenital aperture is a transverse slit lying 

 immediately posterior to the anus. Regan's specimen shows a similar appearance, although the 

 eminence on which the vents open is only slight. 



The stomach of the new specimen was completely empty. 



THE FISHING LURE 

 Among the Pediculate fishes, the use of the cephalic tentacle as a fishing line in Lophius was first 

 asserted by Aristotle. This has since been confirmed by the aquarium observations of Chadwick (1929) 

 and Wilson (1937). Angling activity has also been observed in Antemiarius (Mowbray, 1938 in Water- 

 man, 1939a). In the more highly modified Ceratioid Pediculates the cephalic tentacle becomes a pro- 



