DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. 105 



Family ASTRONESTHID^E. 



Astronesthidcp, Gill, MS. 



Stomatoid flslie.s, witli adipose dorsal present, and scaleless body. Dorsal fiu inserted 

 behind vent, but in front of anal. {Gill, 3IS.) 



ASTRONESTHES, Richardson. 



Astronesthes, Richardson Voy. Sulph., lohtli., 1845, 97.— GCnthei!, Cat. Fish. Brit. Miis., v, 424. 

 Pha-noihis, Lowe, Proc. Zoiil. Soc. London, 1S.")0, 250. 



Body rather elongate, compressed, scaleless. Head compressed, the snout .short, the 

 mouth wide. Teeth pointed, unequal. Ujiper Jaw with 4 long, curved canines; lower 

 with 2; maxillary teeth fine, subequal; palatines with a single series of small, pointed 

 teeth, similar to those on tongue. Eye moderate. Throat with a barl)el. Dorsal fin long, 

 inserted in front of anal, behind ventrals; adipose fin present; caudal forked; paired fins 

 well developed. Gill rakers minute. No pseudobranchia". No air bladder. Lower parts 

 with phosphorescent .spots. (JonJuH and G'tWcrt.) 



ASTRONESTHE.S NIGER, RicnARDSOx. (Figun- 1?3.) 



Aslronesthes nigra, Richardson, Voy. Sulph., Ichtli. 97, pi. 50, tigs. 1-3. 

 Astroncsthes niger, GuNTHER, Cat. Fisli. Brit. Mus., v, 425. 

 Stomias Fieldii, CuviER and Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xxii, 378. 

 Chauliodits Fieldii, Cuvier and V^alenciennes, I. c, xxii, 389. 

 Phanodon ringens, Lowe, Proc. Zoiil. Soc, 1850, 251. 



Black, with about 22 luminou.s spots lietween chin and ventrals. Barbel a little longer 

 than head. Dorsal beginning just liehind base of ventrals; pectoral not reaching nearly 

 to ventrals. Jaws equal. Eye large, well forward. 



Radial formula: Head 4; depth 5.J. D. 17; A. 14. 



This spcides is represented in the national collection by only a single .specimen (No. 

 34538, U. S. N. M.), the tye of Cliauliodus FieMii, C, and V., obtained by C'apt. Field, in May, 

 1819, on a voyage from ]\Iogador to New York, probably at the surface. This specimen 

 passed from the hands of Dr. Mitchill to those of Mr. J. Carson Brevoort, then to INIr. E. 

 G. Blackford, by whom it was presented to the National Museum. 



ASTRONESTHES GEMMIFER, Goode .md Bean, n. s. (Figiu-e 124.) 



Length of head contained 4i times in the total (without caudal) ; its depth 8 times, and 

 the depth of the body 5i times. Barbel about equal in length tt> the head. Origin of the 

 dorsal fin a little nearer tip of snout than root of caudal; length of its base contained 

 nearly 4 times in the total (without caudal); its longest ray two-thirds the length of the 

 head. Ventral origin directly under the dorsal origin; length of the ventral contained 5J 

 times in the total (without caudal); it does not nearly reach to the vent. The distance of 

 the anal origin trom the root of the caudal is a little more than one fourth of total length 

 (without caudal). Eye longer tliau snout; one-fourth as long as the head. Pectoral is 

 nearly one-seventh as long as body (without caudal). 



Radial formula: D. 17; A. 17; Y. 7; P. 9. 



The tji)e of this species (No. 24045, U. S. N. M.), about 7i inches in length, was taken 

 from a halibut's stomach, Jaiuiary 26, 1890, by the schooner Polar ^S'uve, in 44° 25' N. hit., 

 530 12' W. Ion. The halibut was taken in about 300 fathoms. 



This species may possibly prove identical with A. niger. Thelinn'ts of variation of the 

 fin rays in this genus has not been determined for lack of .sufticicnt material. The species 

 has 17 anal rays and numerous gem-like dots on the lower part of the body, there being 

 about 30 in the series from the symphysis of the mandible to the ventral. 



