434 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC OCEAN— GILBERT ^- CRAMER. 



Jaws, snout and iuterorbital space naked; head and body elsewhere 

 covered with niinnte cycloid scales. Lateral line nearl}- axial, its ante- 

 rior arch low, above the head, the i)osterior downward curve abrupt, 

 above base of pectoral; length of arch nearly equal to half depth of 

 body. 



Color {in alcohol). — Head and body light brown, the outlines of the 

 scales dusky, the wide bases of dorsal and anal fins seniitranslucent. 

 Abdomen in the adult with narrow vertical stripes of blue-black, alter- 

 nating with the wider muscular bands which are of the ground color. 

 Head and anterior median portion of trunk with faint darker brown 

 spots about one-third size of pupil. In addition to these, the median 

 part of body is marked with about 45 larger round spots, darker than 

 the others, but still faint and ill defined. These are nearly as large as 

 eye, and are arranged on anterior part of trunk in 7 lengthwise series, 

 all but 3 of which gradually disappear on tail. The larger spots are 

 much more distinct in young specimens than in adults. Mouth and 

 gill cavity white. Peritoneum black. Fins dusky. 



Three specimens, 7 to 10 inches long, from stations 3472 and 347G; 

 295 and 298 fathoms, respectively. 



Ti/])e.—l^o. 48738, U.S.N.M. 



Family MALTHID^. 



MALTHOPSIS MITRIGER, new species. 

 (Plate XLVIII, figs. 1, 1'.) 



Branchiostegals 4; dorsal I, 4 to 5; anal 4; pectorals 14; ventrals 

 I, 5; pores of lateral line behind disk 9. 



The disk strongly dejiressed, triangular, its greatest width (exclusive 

 of the i)osterior lateral projections) 1| in length of body exclusive of 

 caudal, its depth about 4. Boily behind disk taj^ering nearly uniformly. 

 Body nearly everywhere covered with radially striated tubercular 

 plates. Gular region and branchiostegal membranes naked. The vent 

 lies in the center of a naked, somewhat elli]>tical basin surrounded by 

 a ridge of tubercles. A shallow pit behind base of ventrals. Head 

 vertical in front. The tentacular pit triangular, higher than wide, its 

 upper angle on a level with the upper edge of impil. The pit is sur- 

 mounted by a large, conical median tubercle i)rojecting upward and 

 slightly forward, the length of whicli is about 2 in orbit. At each 

 side of this tubercle is another smaller one projecting upward and 

 outward. The club-shaped tentacle, when extended, not quite reaching 

 front of upper jaw. Ej^es large, the orbits strongly convergent, dis- 

 tance between their anterior edges 2i in the distance between their 

 posterior edges. ^louth somewhat oblique; bands of very minute teeth 

 on jaws, vomer, and ])alatines. Width of mouth and diameter of orbit 

 about equal. Gills 2 on each side, oidy a narrow membrane on first 



