844 Bulletin 42, United States National Afuseum. 



black Itehind. Month, gill cavity, and peritoneum jet black. Fins all 

 blackish. One specimen 5 inches long, from station 3075, in 859 fathoms. 

 (Gilbert.) {msia, crest; -ceps, head.) 



MelamphMf critlice}'-"', Gilbert, Proc. V. S. Nat. Mus., 1890 (1891), 60, Albalross station 3075, 

 coast of Oregon and Washington, in 859 fathoms. 



380. BERYX, Cuvier. 



(Alfonsines.) 



Ber>i.r, CuviF.ii, Regne Aniiii., Ed. 2, vol. 11, 151, 1829, 'dicadactiihin). 



Body deep, compressed, covered with rather large, ctenoid scales, which 

 are regularly arranged. Abdomen trenchant, but without enlarged 

 scutes. Head large, with thin bones and high ridges with deep mucifer- 

 ous cavities. Snout short, the mouth oblique, the chin prominent; eye 

 large; both jaws, vomer, and palatines with villiform teeth. Opercles 

 serrated, the opercle usually with spine; preopercle unarmed. Caudal 

 forked ; anal spines 4, the soft rays 26 to 30; dorsal continuous, with 4 to 

 6 spines ; ventrals with about 10 soft rays. Air bladder simple. Pyloric 

 cceca numerous. Color red. Deep-sea fishes, beautifully colored. (Sepv^, 

 Beryx, a Greek name of some fish, taken by Gesner from Varinus.) 



a. Scales in lateral line G4 or 65; D. IV, 10 to 19. decvdactylus, 1227. 



aa. Scales in lateral line 71 to 70; D. IV, 13 to 15. splendens, 1228. 



1227. BERYX DECADACTYLUS, Cuvier & Valenciennes. 

 (AlfONSIN a C.iSTA Laroa.) 



Head 2i ; depth 2i. D. IV, 16-19 ; A. IV, 28-29; V. I, 10 ; V. 14. Body 

 oblong, considerably compressed, its height greatest at the origin of the 

 dorsal ; maxillary bone reaches almost to middle of orbit. Eye very large, 

 about 2i times in head, its upper limb impinging upon upper profile of 

 head ; distance of insertion of pectoral from snout equal to length of 

 base of anal; insertion of anal nearly in vertical from tenth to twelfth 

 dorsal ray, its middle slightly behind last ray of dorsal; ventral inserted 

 under axil of pectoral. Scales sharply ctenoid, with a strong middle 

 keel; the number in the lateral line 64 or 65. Red, with bright streaks. 

 Deep seas, recorded from Portugal, Madeira, Japan, and Cuba. Poey 

 mentions it as " Pez hermoso y rarisimo." (f5^^o, ten ; SuKTvXor, finger.) 

 (Eu.) 



Beryx decadacliilm, CuviER <fe Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iii, 222, 1829, Madeira or Por- 

 tugal ; Poey, Sj'nopsis, 297; Goode & Bean, Oceanic Ichth., 175, 1895. 



1228. BERYX SPLENDENS, Lowe. 

 (Alfonsin a Casta Cumpbida.) 



Body compressed, elongate, its height equal to the length of the head, 

 and contained 3^ times in the total. Pectoral and dorsal fins, which are 

 equal in length, i of the entire length of the fish ; the ventral i-. Dorsal 

 and anal fins are higher than in B. (Jrcadacfylus', insertion of the anal is 



