1. APHANOPUS. 343 



1. Aphanopus carbo. 



LiOice, I. c. 



D. 37-39 I 54. A. 45. Csec. pylor. 6. Vert. 43/57. 

 Uniform black. 

 Sea of Madeira. 



a. Thirty-nine inches long. Madeii'a. Presented by the llev. R. 



T. Lowe. 



b. Skeleton of a large male specimen. Madeira. Presented by the 



Eev. R. T. Lowe. 



The structure of the air-bladder cannot clearly be made out, owing 

 to the state of the internal parts. The membranes are very thick, 

 though soft, and the red glandular masses in the interior are well 

 developed. It emits a narrow conical j^rocess, anteriorly and pos- 

 teriorly. The testicles are separate from each other. The perito- 

 neum, entirely black, is full of a Nematoid. 



Skeleton.— The structure of the skull greatly resembles that of 

 SpliyrcKiia, but the bones are stiU more elongate, especially those 

 forming the portion before the orbit. The upper siu-face of the skull 

 is flat, with several longitudinal grooves and ridges ; the width of 

 the interorbital space is rather less than the vertical diameter of the 

 orbit. The crown of the head is provided with a very feeble occi- 

 pital ridge, and with three others on each side, of moderate height. 

 The basal portipn of the brain-capsule is neither rounded nor com- 

 pressed ; and the anterior part of the basisphenoid is very narrow, 

 styHform. The piincipal frontals diverge anteriorly to receive the 

 ethmoid, which is very narrow and elongate, and forms a part of the 

 upper siu'face of the skull. The prasfrontals are distinctly separated 

 from the piincipal frontal bones, and form the anterior portion of 

 the orbit. The vomer is hammer-lilie, and entirely destitute of 

 teeth ; the palatine bones are very long, straight, situated vertically. 

 The maxillary is well developed, and terminates in a broader portion, 

 to which the intermaxillary is joined. The latter projects con- 

 siderably beyond the snout, and is armed with a series of very strong, 

 flat, lancet-shaped teeth, which are inserted between the exterior 

 and interior lamellae of the bone : there is a long tooth at its fore- 

 most extremity ; then follow a pair of stiU longer ones ; ten teeth, 

 half the size of the longest, occupy the remainder of the bone ; they 

 are widely set ; and there is an immature tooth in every one of the 

 interspaces, destined to replace, at a futui'e period, those which are 

 in function. The teeth of the mandibula are similar, fourteen in 

 number, but there are no longer fangs. The mandibula is long and 

 soHd, with the free space between the dentary and articidar bones 

 very narrow, and with a mdimentary muciferous channel at the 

 lower side. 



The tm-binal bone is short. There is only one infraorbital bone — 

 the prseorbital; it is suspended on the prsefrontal, and has a flat 

 process in the middle of its length, which is directed forwards, 

 and covers only a small portion of the snout. The praeoperculum 

 is subcrescentic, with a low ridge along its posterior limb, and 



