NO. 1114. PllOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 419 



orbit. JSTarrow bands of villiform teeth on i)rem axillary and mandible; 

 a fewteetli on vomer; a very few on anterior part of palatines. Lower 

 jaw not projecting', its tip fitting into a small notch between premaxil- 

 laries. Small pseudobranchi.Te iiresent. Gill lamellae small; rakers far 

 apart, rather slender, the longest about 2^ in orbit, 9 to 10 on the 

 anterior limb of first arch. Scales very small, cycloid, somewhat 

 deciduous, 10 to 11 in a transverse row between lateral line and origin 

 of si)iu()us dorsal. Cheeks and opercles scaly. luterorbital space, 

 snout, and jaws naked. Pectoral fin broad, its base 3 in depth of 

 body; some of the upper rays branched, the lower rays not procurrent 

 or thickened, the middle rays longest, equal to depth of body, or 2| in 

 its length, reaching to or nearly to the end of the base of the anal fin. 

 Ventral fin under the pectoral, 4 in length of body, reaching nearly to 

 vent, the S])ine long and strong, l.\ in the soft rays, the interior ray 

 attached for half its length l)y a membrane to the body wall; anal 

 spines slender, graduated, the first 2 to 2^ in the third, the third equal 

 or nearly equal to the ventral spine and a little shorter than the soft 

 anal rays. Dorsal spines slender, sharp, the fourth spine longest, twice 

 as long as the first; the eleventh very small, one-third as long as the 

 first; the twelfth long, apparently belonging to the second dorsal fin, 

 If in the fourth spine; the soft rays about equal to the longest spine. 

 Caudal fin slender, the median rays longest. Distance from tip of 

 snout to origin of spinous dorsal 2^ in body; from tip of snout to root 

 of pectorals 2i, and to origin of anal 1;^, from root of ventral to origin 

 of anal 3, in length of body. Base of soft dorsal a little more than two 

 in spinous dorsal; total length of soft and spinous dorsals two in 

 length of body. Length of anal base S'j to 4 in head. Mucous system 

 highly developed. No dermal flaps. Vent just in front of anal fin. 



Color reddish. Skin everywhere densely dotted with minute black 

 specks; edge of spinous dorsal and base of soft dorsal, basal third of 

 anal fin, the ventral fins, a ventral median baud from root of veutrals 

 to origin of anal, a spot with indefinite outlines under spinous dorsal, 

 another under soft dorsal and a fainter one at posterior end of peduncle, 

 the gill cavities and the posterior part of the mouth cavity, and the 

 alimentary canal blackish or blackish brown. The external blackish 

 areas are aggregations of dark dots. Peritoneum mostly silvery. 



Three si)ecimens, 3^ to 4^ inches, from station 317G; 208 fathoms. 



Type.—:^o. 17720, U.S.X.M. 



Family TRIGLID^. 



PERISTEDION HIANS, new species. 

 (Plate XLI, figs. 1, 2.) 



Head (from front of premaxillaries) 2|; depth C^. D. VII-22; A. 

 22; P. 17 (2, 15); lateral line about 31 (pores). 



Body covered with 8 series of spongy, bony i^lates armed with sharp, 



