1804 Bulletin //, Uiiited States National Museum. 



Maudible protruding, entering profile in large specimens, less prominent 

 in tlie young. Sympbyseal knob jiresent, but not conspicuous. Teeth on 

 jaws, vomer, and palatines in narrow bands. Eye large, longer than 

 snout. Interorbital space slightly concave, with 2 evident longitudinal 

 ridges. Cranial ridges sharp-edged and moderately elevated, the spines 

 strong. Nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, coronal, 

 parietal, and nuchal spines present; 1 or both coronal spines occasionally 

 wanting. Preorbital of moderate width, its anterior lobe sometimes end- 

 ing in a spine, the posterior with a sharp spinous edge bearing 1 to 4 sharp 

 points. Preopercular spines large, regularly radiating, the 2 upper ones 

 approximated and more slender, the others broadly triangular, directed 

 downward and backward. Two spines sometimes present at angle of sub- 

 opercle; opercular si)ine8 sometimes double. Lower rim of orbit some- 

 times serrated. Gill rakers long and slender, the longest \ diameter of 

 eye, 22 or 23 on lower limb of outer arch. Spinous dorsal rather low, the 

 twelfth spine \ the height of the last, which is \ head; the longest spine 

 2| in head; second anal spine stronger, but scarcely longer than the third 

 2^ in head; pectoral without thickened lower rays, reaching to vent, 4^ 

 in body ; caudal emarginate. Scales large, ctenoid, about 30 tubes pres- 

 ent in the lateral line; small accessory scales numerous; all parts of the 

 head, including cheeks, maxillary, mandible, branchiostegul rays, snout, 

 and interoi-bital space covered with scales ; gular region scaled ; all the 

 iins invested to their tips with tine scales; scales large, ctenoid; tins 

 scaled. Cranial ridges and spines rather low but strong; coronal and 

 nuchal spines present; mandibular symphysis prominent, with small sym- 

 pbyseal knob; peritoneum, mouth, and gill cavity black or dusky. Color 

 uniform bright red, duller than in S. miniaim. Smaller specimens reddish. 

 Traces of tine olive-green bars on back; numerous dark spots along lateral 

 line; a dark blotcii on opercle; 3 bauds on cheek, and a blotch in the axil 

 of i>ectoral; all the fins edged with black. Several specimens were taken 

 in Bering Sea to the north and west of Unalaska Island, in depths of 85 

 to 350 fathoms. The species evidently lives at much greater depths than 

 does *S'. ahitus. The cranial ridges are well developed and terminate in 

 strong spines. Coronal spines are usually present, but may be absent on 

 one or both sides. In both types of »S'. intronujer, taken at a depth of 2G6 

 fathoms in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, the coronal spines are 

 wanting, but as they agree with our specimens in all other important 

 details Ave make the identitication without doubt. 

 The following characters are taken from Alaskan specimens: 

 Bones of skur rather thin; preocular spines long, sharp; supraocular, 

 postocular, and tympanic spines broad, strong; coronal spines small in 

 Alaskan specimens, wanting in those from California;* parietal ridge 

 high, strong, with 2 spines; parietal and nuchal produced by interrup- 

 tion in parietal ridge, which in some instances shows a slight tendency to 

 break np into a series of spines; the other ridges lower; parietal bones 

 well separated or barely uniting ; interorbital space 4 to 4^ in base of skull, 

 flat; mesethmoid processes somewhat compressed, with broad upper sur- 



* Types of iSebastodes introniger. 



