PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



by the 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



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Vol. 86 Washington : 1938 No. 3047 



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REVIEW OF THE FISHES OF THE GENEEA POLYIPNUS 

 AND ARGYROPELECUS (FAMILY STERNOPTICHIDAE),i 

 WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW SPECIES 



By Leonard P. Schtjltz 



This study is based on the specimens of fishes of the family Stern- 

 optichidae in the genera Polyipnus and Argyropelecus in the collec- 

 tions of the United States National Museum. The term length 

 herein refers to the standard length, or the distance from the tip of 

 the snout to the base of the midcaudal fin rays. In the literature 

 cited in synonymy, all publications have been examined except papers 

 by those authors whose names are preceded by an asterisk (*). 



Drawings for the figures, except figure 42, were made by Jane 

 Roller. 



Genus POLYIPNUS Gunther 



Polyipmis Gunthek, Challenger Reports, vol. 22, pt. 57, p. 170, 1887 (P. spinosus 



Gunther). 

 Acanthopolyipnus (subg.) Fowler, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 85, 



p. 257, 1934 (Polyipmis fraseri Fowler). 



This genus may be recognized by the following characters : A pair 

 of diverging spines just in front of the origin of the soft dorsal fin; 

 the absence of a dorsal blade; ten abdominal photophores; three 

 supra-abdominal photophores; a lateral photophore; three suprapec- 

 toral photophores; anal fin undivided. 



Figure 42 shows diagrammatically the positions and names of the 

 various series of photophores as used in this paper. 



^ See Gill, 1884, for early history of names in references to this family. 



135 



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