140 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. 43. 



PARATELEOPUS MICROSTOMUS Smith and Radcliffe, new species. 



Dorsal 3; anal + caudal 91; ventrals 2; pectorals 13. 



Head short, pointed, 6.14 in total length, 2.16 in distance from tip 

 of snout to vent, greatest breadth equal to snout plus eye; length of 

 head and trunk 2.80 in total length; depth of body 8.32 in total 

 length, 2,93 in head plus trunk; body and tail compressed, tapering; 

 eye 6.32 in head, 2,55 in snout; snout 2.48, fleshy, pointed, projecting 

 beyond mouth about 0.4 of its length; mouth small, semicircular, 

 horizontal, lips fleshy; maxillary 4.55, not reaching vertical to 

 anterior margin of eye; anterior nostril circular, with a low rim, 

 posterior nostril slit-like, close to eye; no sharp, knob-hke structure 

 above or behihd eye; a broad band of small teeth on anterior half of 

 each premaxillary; mandible and palate toothless; interorbital 3.17; 

 gills 4, the fourth arch with a slit behind it; gill rakers 7 in 

 number on anterior arch, armed with small teeth; no pseudo- 



no. 11.— PaEATEI.EOPUS MICROSTOMUS. 



branchiae; skin tender, scaleless; lateral line present, inconspicuous, 

 pores widely separated. 



Insertion of dorsal fin behind vertical to base of pectoral, first 

 dorsal ray longest, 2.85, its base about one-ninth length of head; 

 anal long, continuous with the caudal, anterior rays short increasing 

 in length posteriorly, longest ray 2.72; pectorals 1.20, well developed, 

 tips not reaching vent; ventrals reduced to a filament, tapering, 2.28, 

 dissection shows filament to be composed of 2 closely joined rays^ 

 under the skin are traces of additional rudimentary rays; inter- 

 hsemals very distinct, covered by a delicate semitransparent skin. 



Color in alcohol: Top of head and body seal-brown, becoming sepia 

 on sides of body and tail and gray on ventral surface; dorsal and 

 pectorals very dark brown; ventrals grayish; margin of anal blackish, 

 becoming lighter basally; lips cream-buff; peritoneum silvery with 

 minute dots of brown. 



Type.— Cat. No. 72951, U.S.N.M., 35 cm. in length, taken with a 

 beam trawl at station 5622 (lat. 0° 19' 20'' N.; long. 127° 28' 30" E.), 

 near Makyan Island, Dutch East Indies, at a depth of 275 fathoms, 

 on a bottom of gray mud. 



