MARINE SILVER HATCHETFISHES — SCHULTZ 639 



Polyipnus laternatus Garman 

 Figure 14 



Polyipnus laternatus Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. 24, pp. 238, 399, 

 1899 (off Barbados). — Parr, Bull. Bingham Oceanogr. Coll., vol. 3, art. 7, 

 p. 55, fig. 22, 1937 (West Indies).— Schultz, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., vol. 86, 

 pp. 142-143, 1938 (West Indies). 



Polyipnus spinosus Brauer (in part), Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen 

 Tiefsee-Expedition auf dem Dampfer Valdivia, vol. 15, pt. 1, p. 121, 1906 

 (Atlantic Ocean). — Rivero, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 41, No. 4, 

 p. 56, 1936 (off Cuba). 



Study material: Because of the large number of lots examined, 

 they are summarized as follows : 



Caribbean Sea 8 lots with 17 specimens; off Panama in Atlantic 1 lot, 2 speci- 

 mens; off Ilispaniola in Atlantic Ocean 2 lots, 2 specimens; Straits of Florida, off 

 Cuba 10 lots, 17 specimens; off Puerto Rico 1 lot, 6 specimens; off Northern 

 Florida in Atlantic Ocean 1 lot, 1 specimen; Western Atlantic Ocean 10 lots, 17 

 specimens. 



Catalog numbers and number of specimens in parentheses are as 

 follows : 



BOC 3755(1) and 3756(1). 



CNHM 64353(1), 64354(2), 64355(2), 64359(5), 64360(2), 64361(6), and 

 64362(2). 



MCZ (Atlantis stations) 2956(1), 2960(1), 2981C(1), 2981D(2), 2985(1), 3387(1), 

 3404(2), 3405(3), 3425(4), and 3434(1). 



UMML 2751(1). 



USFWS (Brunswick, Georgia) Combat station 450(1). 



USNM 157836(4). 



Distinctive characters: This species is close to asteroides, both 

 having three supra-anal photophores; however, laternatus has 10 to 13 

 anal photophores instead of 8 to 10, as asteroides has, and the post- 

 temporal spine is longer in laternatus, its length equal to the width 

 of the last 4 to 7 anal photophores. The last few anal photophores of 

 laternatus are smaller than are those of asteroides. 



Description: Counts made are given in table 1, p. 591, and table 

 6, p. 636. 



Color: The color pattern is shown in figure 14, p. 628. 



Range: This species has been taken in the western Atlantic Ocean 

 in the West Indies, Caribbean Sea, ofT Barbados, Cuba, and the north 

 coast of Hispaniola at depths of from 240 to 1,200 fathoms. I have 

 not seen it from the Gulf of Mexico. Specimens observed were be- 

 tween 18 and 40 mm. in standard length. 



Remarks: Records in the literature referring to spinosus from the 

 Atlantic actually refer to laternatus, as I am unable to find authentic 

 specimens of spinosus from the Atlantic. 



