Proceedings of 

 the United States 

 National Museum 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITLTION • WASHINGTON, D.C. 



Volume 122 1967 .Numbf^r 3398 



A New Genus and iSew Species 



Of Zoarcid Fish 

 From the North Pacific Ocean 



By Leonard P. Schultz 



Senior Zoologist, Department of Vertebrate Zoology 



Dr. Teodor Nalbant (Institutul de Cerx-itari Piscicole, Bucharest, 

 Rumania) has kindly sent to me for examination two specimens of a 

 zoarcid fish that represent an undescribed new genus and new species 

 in the family Zoarcidae. I appreciate Dr. Nalbant's kindness in 

 giving me permission to report on these unique specimens. 



Nalbantirhthys, new genus 



Type-species: Nalhanticldhy^ elongaius, new species. 



This new genus is characterized by the slender elongate scaleless 

 body with loose skin; pelvic fms absent; small elongate gill opening 

 situated completely dorsal to base of very small pectoral fin; next to 

 last vertebra (fig. 3) with rudiments of three neural and three (possibly 

 four) hemal spines (other\Nise there is a single neural and single hemal 

 spine for each anteriorly placed vertebra), and one fin ray for each 

 vertebra except the penultimate vertebra and hypural plate; single 

 median interorbital pore; nasal openings represented by a pair of 

 tubular nostrils; vomer and palatines toothless; jaws, especially at the 

 tips, with strong conical teeth; branchiostegal rays seven; vertebrae 

 25+119 to 125, totaling 144 to 150. 



1 



