142 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 234 



Type. — Zoologisches Museum, Berlin. 



Type locality. — South of Pulo Nias, Sumatra. 



Discussion. — As far as shown by records available to me, only- 

 nine specimens of this species are known, of which six are in the 

 Albatross collections from the Philippines and one, reported by Sasaki 

 from Japan, was also taken by the Albatross on her Japanese cruise. 

 The Japanese specimen came from 360 m. depth and the deepest from 

 720 m. off Mompog Island, Philippines. It would thus appear that 

 this is a typical mesopelagic species. 



There are few differences between the present specimens and those 

 described by Chun (1910), Sasaki (1929), and Adam (1954), and the 

 differences are minor. 



Distribution. — South of Pulo Nias, Sumatra (Chun); Java Sea 

 (Adam); Suruga Bay, Japan (Sasaki); Philippines! 



Family Cranchiidae: Subfamily Cranchiinae 



Cranchia scabra Leach, 1817 



Figure 31 

 Cranchia scabra Leach, 1817, p. 140. 



Material. — 1 9, ML 82.0 mm., Sta. D5283, Malavatuan Id., 

 southern Luzon, 513 m., July 18, 1908; USNM 574888. 



Description. — The mantle is barrel-shaped, about half as wide as 

 long, broadly indented on the dorsal margin and on either side of the 

 funnel at the points of attachment with the head. The posterior end 

 is bluntly pointed. The entire mantle surface is closely set with large 

 cartilaginous tubercles which often are square or triangular on their 

 upper surface, each corner armed with a triangular point. The 

 gladius is visible in the dorsal midline and bears a row of tubercles 

 along most of its length, the broadened lanceolate area densely 

 covered. Ventrally there are two short inverted V-shaped hyaline 

 streaks, one on either side of the funnel, the streaks bearing a row of 

 tubercles. 



The fins are small and round, separate anteriorly but united 

 posteriorly, their general shape a transverse oval but indented on the 

 posterior margin. The fins project past the end of the mantle for 

 about a third of their length. They are closely covered by tubercles 

 similar to those on the mantle, only their borders being clear in a 

 narrow band. 



The head in the present specimen has been badly damaged and 

 both eyes are missing. However, the head in a complete specimen is 

 small, compact, often withdrawn inside the mantle, and bears promi- 



