Jordan and Evennaiin. — Fishes of North America. 2743 



but it is not nearly so much depressed as in the related genera. When the 

 l)ody is inflated the height and length of the disk is nearly equal. Spines 

 rather feeble; about 10 between snout and dorsal tin; about 6 strong 

 spines, with conical bases and stellular tips, on outer margin of disk on 

 each side, the anterior of them being opposite the eye; in front of these 

 spines on the discal margin, and between thorn and the snout, are several 

 small, simple spines, pointing backward; belly armed with spines similar 

 to those on the back, but weaker; a stellate spine upon tip of snout, with 

 2 weaker, simple spines on each side; nasal openings midway between 

 eye and tip of snout; mouth small, upon the margin of the disk; upper 

 jaw shorter than diameter of eye. Teeth as described in the generic diag- 

 nosis. Dorsal fin inserted at posterior limit of disk, with 5 simple, artic- 

 ulated rays, its longest ray \ as long as disk; anal fin with 4 simple, 

 articulated rays, inserted directly beneath fourth ray of dorsal, its second 

 and longest ray \ as long as disk ; caudal twice as long as anal, and 

 slightly longer than caudal peduncle, with 9 simple, articulated rays. 

 Carpus inserted at a distance from snout equal to twice length of longest 

 pectoral ray, which is slightly greater than distance of posterior margin 

 of carpus, at its junction with disk, from vent; number of pectoral rays 

 15; ventral inserted at a point equidistant from the snout and origin of 

 anal, its longest ray (the fourth) equal to \ distance of anal fin from 

 snout. Color yellowish white. Gulf Stream. A single specimen, \\ inches 

 long, known. {lapiya, the burdock, from its prickles.) 



Halieutella lairpa, Goode & Bean, Proc. Biol. Soc. "Washington, n, 1882, 88, Gulf Stream, 

 at Fish Hawk Station 1151, Lat. 39° 58' 30" N., Long. 70° 37' W., in 125 fathoms; 

 GooDE & Bean, Oceanic Ichthyology, 500, pi. 122, figs. 512a and 512b, 1896. 



1077. DIBRANCHUS, Peters. 



Dihranchus, Peters, Monatsber. Kou. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1876,736 (atlanticus). 



Head merged in body, very laige, much depi'essed, forming a broadly 

 ovate disk, with margin laterally prolonged ; cranial portion not elevated; 

 the interorbital area low, narrow, with orbits partly superior; supraoval 

 cavity large, protected above by a transverse bony ridge. Mouth ter- 

 minal, horizontal, wide ; lower jaw convex; teeth in cardiform bands, none 

 on vomer or palatines. Gills 2; no gill rakers; gill openings small, ante- 

 rior to pectorals. Rostral tentacle retractile, trilobate at tip. Skin with 

 numerous strong stellate spines above and below, those at margins of disk 

 especially strong, 3-pointed. Atlantic ; distinguished from related genera 

 by the reduction of the gills to 2 pairs. (5^'?, two ; lipdyxoi, gill-) 



3127. DIBRANCHUS ATLANTIOUS, Peters. 



D. 6 or 7 ; A. 4 ; C. 9 ; P. 13 to 15 ; V. I, 5 ; Br. 6 ; gills 2. Disk orbicular, 

 nearly as wide as long, its length about A^ that of body, its lateral outline 

 prolonged on each side, and terminating in a strong spine armed at the 

 tip with a group of irregularly arranged acicular spinelets. Body covered 

 above with numerous stout conical spines with stellular bases, these 



