1908.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 73 



Acanthias hlainvillii of Risso, from which it differs only in the position 

 of the first dorsal, tlie origin of which Giinther gives as being placed 

 "conspicuously in advance of the inner posterior angle of the pectoral" 

 (Giinther, Catalogue of Fishes, Vol. VIII, p. 419, 1870), otherwise it 

 accords well with the description given by Miiller and Henle to this 

 species (Miiller and Henle, Plagiostomen, 1841, pp. 84-85), so that I was 

 rather inclined to regard our specimen to be the same species. Since, 

 however, the descriptions of these authors are very short, making the 

 identification of the species difficult, I have allowed myself to propose 

 a new name for our Japanese form. 



A fact of some interest regarding this species, however, is the 

 presence of two hooks attached to the copulatory organ in our forms, 

 whereas Miiller and Henle give it to be the generic character of Acan- 

 thias that the "Mannchen haben an der aussern Seite des Endes der 

 Anhange einen beweglichen, am Ende wenig gekriimmten Dorn oder 

 Stachel." Whether the second spine we fmd in our specimen does 

 exist in the specimens of these authors, or whether it was overlooked 

 by them, which fact is, judging from the otherwise very careful and 

 accurate descriptions of the German authors, very improbable, I am 

 at loss to form any definite opinions. In case, however, the first alter- 

 native proves to be the fact, then the specific distinction of our forms 

 is beyond any doubt. 



This species is well distinguished from the more common Japanese 

 species of this genus, Sqiialus mitsukurii of Jordan and Snyder. 



