326 THE PSYCHR0L1 'I'ID.i ■:. 



fers very much from the New Zealand one in the contour of the bead, 

 size of the eyes, the distinctness of the spinous dorsal, and the develop- 

 ment and form of the .soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins, as well as of 

 the pectoral. In a fish of this type, in which the skin so loosely invests 

 the body and head, wide difference in form may be assumed, but it is 

 scarcely likely that the artist should have so misrepresented such a fish 

 as Psychrolutes latus as would be the case [f the figure published by Dr. 

 Gunther is correct. A simple comparison between thefigurein Dr.Gun- 

 ther's communication and that of the Few Zealand fish herein given 

 will serve to show the differences; the accompanying figure has been 

 very carefully drawn from the iish placed in natural position, and it 

 will be found difficult to believe that there is a specific identity of that 

 Iish and the one illustrated by Dr. Gunther. We have, therefore, no 

 hesitation in differentiating the South American from the New Zealand 

 Iish and in giving to it a new name. The question for further investi- 

 gation will be, in fact, rather whether the two fishes do not belong to 

 different genera. 



IV, 



The results thus detailed may be summed up in the following synop- 

 sis, briefly recapitulating the characteristics of the subfamily Psychrolu- 

 I'liur, and the species Neoplirynichthys. We may hope that perhaps Pro- 

 lessor Parker, to whom we are indebted for excellent memoirs on the 

 anatomy of several fishes of his adopted home, may give himself, or 

 depute a student to give us, some details as to the anatomy of a fish 

 which does not appear to be excessively rare in New Zealand. 



Sl'TJFAMILY PSYCHROLUTIJNLE. 



Cottiihe with ventral fins thoracic, rather close together, and each 

 rising from a pocket like fold of the skin, little developed, and com- 

 posed of one spine very feebly developed, and one or more rays; with 

 a spinous dorsal little developed and more or less continuous with the 

 soft; the spines slender; the head and the entire body inves'ed in a 

 loose skin, which conceals all cephalic prominences and encroaches on 

 the tins, almost entirely concealing the spinous dorsal and enveloping 

 the sot'i vertical fins nearly to the tips of the rays ; the branchial aper- 

 tures con lined to the sides and separated by a very wide isthmus, 

 formed by the continuous skin between the chin and the abdomen. 



PSYCHROLUTES. 



Psychrolutes paradoxus. 



}'s;i< In <>l n*i s parodoxua Gunther, Cat. Fishes, B. M., vol. 3, p. 516, 1S61. 



Psychrolutes of a dusky color, pale below, about 2 inches long. 

 Habitat. — Pacific coast, North America (Kodiak; Gulf of Georgia). 



