36 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.84 



Holotype. — U.S.N.M. no. 102107; a specimen 38 mm in standard 

 length, from Albatross station 5050, off Sendai Bay, Japan, lat. 

 38°11'30" N., long. 142°08'00" E., in 2G6 fathoms. This is the only 

 specimen known. 



STLEGICOTTUS,' new genus 



Genotype. — Stlegicottus xenogrammus. 



Preopercle armed with 4 simple spines. Gill membranes broadly 

 united, free from isthmus; branchiostegals 6. Teeth in moderately 

 broad cardiform bands on premaxillaries, dentaries, and vomer, in 

 narrow bands on palatines. Gills 31/2; no slit behind fourth arch; 

 gill rakers in the form of short tubercles. Pelvics I, 3. Lateral 

 line not extending beyond end of anal fin. 



This is an isolated genus probably representing an early offshoot 

 from the line of descent that later gave rise to Ricuzenius on the 

 one hand and the ArtediusStelgistniTn group on the other, 



STLEGICOTTUS XENDGRAMMUS.b new species 



Figure 8 



Head and anterior portion of body forming a subovate mass from 

 which the posterior part of the body extends with a broad trans- 

 verse groove forming a line of demarcation ventrally at the level of 

 the anal origin; body slightly compressed throughout; deepest at 

 anterior end of first dorsal, the distance from the origin of first 

 dorsal to pelvic base 1.8 in head; width at dorsal end of pectoral 

 base 2.4 in head. Dorsal contour almost straight posterior to origin 

 of first dorsal; ventral contour forming a double convex curve, the 

 anterior curve well marked between the mouth and anal origin, 

 the posterior curve very gentle, extending between anal origin and 

 caudal peduncle, the least depth of which is 2.4 in orbit. 



Head 2.G in standard length. Snout 1.6 in orbit, moderately steep, 

 forming an angle of 64° with chin, of 143° with frontoparietal re- 

 gion; lower jaw very slightly shorter than upper jaw, barely in- 

 cluded ; maxillary extending beyond middle of pupil but not reaching 

 its posterior margin. Anterior nostrils in well-developed tubes about 

 0.5 as long as nasal sj^ines; posterior nostrils without elevated mar- 

 gins, indistinguishable externally from mucous pores. Size of eye 

 moderate, orbit 2.9 in head. Interorbital space flat, narrow, about 

 1.7 in posterior width of maxillary ; top of head very gently concave. 

 Nasal spines sharp, moderate in size, about 1.3 in interorbital space; 

 preopercular spines short, simple, sharp; the upper one the longest, 

 about equal to interorbital width, directed upward and backward, 



9 From aT\fyyU, a scraper + Coitus. 

 • From Itvos, strange + ypamii}, line. 



