972 Bulletiti 4/, United States National Museum. 



444. ICOSTEUS, Lockiugtou. 



leosteiis, LOCKINGTON, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., in, 1880, C3, {leiugmaiicus). 

 Schedo2)hilopsis,&TFAKr>ACiiiiER, Ichth. Beitriige, xi, 4, 1881, (s/jinosMs). 



Body oblong, much coiapiessecl tliroughout, the head thicker than any 

 part of the body. Dorsal outline rising rapidly to the origin of the dorsal 

 fin, thence more regularly cui-ved ; the region at the base of the dorsal 

 and anal strongly compressed; caudal peduncle slender, widened at the 

 base of the fin. Mouth large, horizontal ; maxillary narrow, reaching to 

 beyond middle of eye. Teeth in jaws in one row, slender, shar^), closely 

 and regularly set, those in the lower jaw largest ; no teeth on vomer, pal- 

 atines, or pharyngeals. Gill rakers flexible, few ; gill membranes separate, 

 free from the isthmus. BranchiostegalsG; pseudobranchiic well developed. 

 Lateral line conspicuous, continuous, decurved, groups of small spines 

 present along its entire length ; no scales anywhere on body or fins. Fins 

 rough, with small spiuules; a series along eack ray, dividing as the ray 

 branches ; dorsal fin commencing above the axil of the pectoral, composed 

 of 50 to 60 rays, which are all soft and flexible, some of the anterior 

 unbranched; the fin low in front, increasing in height behind; none of the 

 rays more than once forked; anal shorter than dorsal, similar to it, of 35 

 to 40 rays; some of the anterior apparently undivided ; caudal fin elongate, 

 fan-shaped, the middle rays produced; accessory rays numerous, procur- 

 rent; pectorals with a fleshy base, fan-shaped, the middle rays longest; 

 ventralsthoracic, inserted just behind the pectorals, narrow, consisting 

 of 1 short subspinous ray and 4 long soft rays. Air bladder large. Ver- 

 tebrte numerous, the vertebral column extremely flexible and soft. Cranial 

 bones tolerably firm ; bones of the face and opercles very flexible. Deep- 

 sea fishes, from the Pacific, (ekw, to yield, submit; bariov, bone — the 

 "entire body being characterized by a want of firmness, aa it can be 

 doubled up as readily as a piece of soft, thick rag.") 



1371. ICOSTEUS >EiKIGMA.TICUS, Lockington. 



Head 4 ; depth 3. D. 52 to 55 ; A. 37 to 40 ; V. I, 4 ; scales 110 to 120 (groups 

 of spines). Longest ray of dorsal nearly reaching base of middle caudal 

 rays. Eye 6 in head, scarcely half the length of the snout or the width of 

 the interorbital space ; diameter of caudal peduncle about 5i in greatest 

 depth. Pellucid yellowish or brownish, with purplish spots a4id blotches 

 of irregular form ; the spots largest above and most numerous along the 

 lateral line; fleshy bases of caudal and pectorals spotted; throat and 

 gill membranes with dark punctulations; fins dusky, obscurely blotched. 

 Length about 12 inches. Pacific coast of United States; some 10 speci- 

 mens known from deep water off California, Oregon, and Washington ; 

 the example before us from Monterey. (nhnyfiaTiKoc, puzzling.) 



Icosteus eeniijmaticnn, Lockington, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., iii, 1880,63, off San Francisco; (Coll. 

 W. G. W. Harford); Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 620, 1883. 



Schedophilopsis .ijjiiiosHS, Steindachner, Ichth. Eeitr., xi, 4, 1881, with figure, off San Fran- 

 cisco. 



Schedophilus enigmaticus, GiJNTHER, Deep Sea Fishes, Challenger, 4G, plate 44, 1887. 



