DESCPJPTIONS OF TWO 



NEW DEEP-SEA EISHES 



KRO.Af 



SOUTH AFRICA. 



By (J. A. boulkxge:r, F.R.S. 



XofdCdiitliiis (iiiiiccteiis. 

 (Plate- XI.) 



Body strongly compressed, its depth double its width and 

 contained 3I times in the distance from end of snout to vent^ 

 the length of the head being contained 2f times ; tail 1^ length 

 of head and body. Snout acutely pointed, scarcely compressed, 

 strongly projecting, i^ the diameter of the eye, which is 5 times 

 in length of head and i^ in interocular width ; mouth crescentic, 

 its width equal to the length of the snout ; end of maxillary 

 below^ centre of eye, armed with a strong spine ; lip papillose, 

 thick, not forming a fold round the upper jaw, as it does at the 

 sides of the mandible ; 24 premaxillarv and 28 mandibular 

 teeth on each side. Gill-membrane angularly notched in the 

 middle, as far as the vertical from the upper end of tlie gill- 

 opening ; gill-rakers rather large, 7 on lower part of anterior 

 arch. Dorsal spines 7, the first opposite to the vent, the last or 

 longest only half the diameter of the eye. Anal with 13 spines 

 and, 160 soft rays ; spines increasing in length to the last, which 

 measures li the diameter of the eye. Pectoral i the length of 

 the head. Ventral shorter, extending to the vent, joined to its 

 fellow, with 2 spines and 6 branched rays ; first spine verv 

 short, second nearly as long as the eye. Scales very minute, in 

 25 longitudinal series between the first dorsal spine and the 

 lateral line, in 45 series between the latter and the vent, of 

 nearly equal size all over the head and body ; lateral line well 

 marked, straight, nearer to the dorsal than to the ventral out- 

 line throughout. Pale brownish, blackish about the month 

 and gill-cleft and towards the end of the anal lin. 



Total length 355 millimetres. 



This new species is interesting as occupving an intermediate 

 position between A\ scxspiiiis, Richardson, and A'. (Gigliolia) 

 iiioselcyi, Goode and Bean (X. hoiuipartii, Gthr.j, of both of 



