DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DLSTIUBUTION. 145 



HISTIOBRANCHUS, Gill. 



Hittiobranclius, Gill, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1883; vi, 255, 1890, xiii, 161.— Jori>ax ami Davis, loc. cit.. 672. 

 Synapliobrauchids with origin of dorsal almost as far forward as tbo base of the pec- 

 toral and far in advance of the anal. Vent nearly in the middle of the length of the body. 

 Vomerine teeth in two patches, that in front being the larger. (Gill.) 



HISTIOBRANCHUS INFERNALIS, Gill. (Figure 165.) 



Histiobranclius infernaUs, Gill, loc. cit. 



Synuphohranchiis infernaUs, Guntiiek, Challenger Report, xxii, 254. 



Body moderately elongated and compressed; its height at the amis equals .50 of the 

 length and the greatest width above the stomach being less than two-thirds of the 

 height. The head forms about one-ninth of the total length, and its width is a little less 

 than one-half its length ; the snout is moderate, the length being less than the greatest 

 width of the head. The eye is also moderate, its diameter being much less than one-half 

 the length of the snout. 



The upper jaw is nearly one-tenth of the total length and the lower jaw a little more. 



The dorsal commences not far beliiud the vertical from the root of the pectoral, while 

 the anal arises little nearer the snout than the end of the tail; both are moderately devel- 

 oped. 



The pectorals are considerably shorter than the snout. 



The color in life is said to be au almost uniform dark plumbeous, but in alcohol the 

 trunk is dark yellowish brown, becoming almost black on the abdominal region and around 

 the pectoral as well as on the intermandibular integuments and around the pectorals, while 

 the dorsal and anal are whitish except towards the posterior fourth of the length, where 

 they are very dark or blackish. 



A specimen, No. 33279, was taken by the Albatross at station 2037, lat. 38° 30' 30" N., 

 Ion. 690 08' 25", W., in 1,731 fathoms. 



Another species of the same genus, characterized mainly by stouter body and lower 

 vertical tins, is HUtwhranclms bathyhhis, Giinther {SynapJiohranchHs hathybiiis, Giinther, 

 Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., xx, 1877, 145, Challenger Eeport, xxii, 254, pi. LXii, fig. B), a 

 stouter, chunkier form, with shorter snout and tail, and smaller fins, obtair.ed in the 

 Pacific and Indian oceans, at depths from 1,375 to 2,050 fathoms. 



Family MUR^^NESOCIDyE. 



Congriformes Murccnesoces, Bleeker, Atl. Iclitli. lud. ueerl., i, 1864, 19. 

 Murccnesocina, Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., viii, 1870, 20. 

 Muramesocinw, Jordan and Gilbert, Bull, xvi, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 387. 



Murwnesocidw Cope, Proc. Am. Ass. Adv. Sci., 1871 (1872), 334.— Gill, Arr. Fam. Fisli. 1870, 20; Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., 1890, 321.— Jordan aud Davis, Rep. U. S. F. C, 1888 (1891), 643. 



Angiiilloid apodals, with thick skeleton, thin .scaleless skin, and tail surrounded by 

 vertical fins; pectoral well developed; jaws of moderate length; vomer well armed; pos- 

 teriornostril not lateral; tongue narrow, its margins adnate; gill openings rather wide. 

 "Branchiostegal membrane connecting the opposite sides below, the epipharyngeals 

 reduced to one pair, and the uypopharyngeals linguiform and encroaching on the fourth 

 branchial arch." 



"The characters which appear to distingui.sh the Sfurmiesoces best from the Anguillids 

 aud Congrids or Leptocephalids are the low position on the hyomandibular of the condyle 

 for the operculum, the slender branchial arches and the development and position of the 

 hypopharyngeals and epipharyngeals, the union of the opposite branchiostegals by the 

 inferior branchiostegal membrane, and the want of freedom of the tongue. Whether the 

 other genera that have been closely associated with Miir(nic.w.r{IIopliin)ns, 0.ryconfif>;Xeo- 

 conger, NeUastoma, and Saurenehelys) are related to the family can only be determined by an 

 19 68— No. 2 10 



