DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION. ISO 



HOPLOSTETHUS, Cuvier and Valenciennes. 



HoplostctkiiK, Cuvier and Valexciennks, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 18L>9, 4fi9, pi. 97, bis.— GrxTliEn, Cat. Fisli. 



Brit. Mus., I, 9.— JoRD.\j< aud Gilbkrt, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus., 1,58. 

 Trachkhihys (in iiarfi, LowE, Fishes of Madeira, 5.5. 



Body deep, compressed. Scales moderate, somewhat ctenoid; lateral line present, its 

 scales enlarged; abdomen with a series of bony plates, each ending in a rctrorse spine. 

 Head large, deeper than long, with very conspicuous mnciferous cavities, covered by thin 

 skin. Eye very large. Mouth very wide, oblique; the jaws equal when it is closed. Jaws 

 and palatines with fine, villifinm teeth; vomer toothless. A strong spine at tbe angh- of 

 the preopercle; the long vertical limb of the preopercle tinely serrated. Gill membranes 

 separate, free from the isthmus. Dorsal fln single, short, the spines graduated, (i in num 

 ber; anal with 3 graduated spines; caudal forked, its rudimentary rays spinous; pectorals 

 symmetrical, rather long; veutrals i, (>, rather short. xVir bladder simple. Pyloric cwca 

 numerous. Vertebra* 11 + 15. 



HOPLOSTETHUS MEDITERRANEUS, Cuvier aud Valenciennes. (Figure 208.) 



Soplostethus mediterraneita. Cuvier and Valexciexnes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 469, pi. xcvii. Guichexot 



Explor. Aljjer. Poiss.. 42.— Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit Mus., i, 9; Ann. aud Mag. Nat. Hist., 1878, i,' 

 485.— Jordan aud Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. N. M., 458.— Moreau, Hist. Nat., Poiss. de la France, ii, 322.— 

 Steindachxer, Denkschr. d. k. Akad. d. Wis.s. Wien, 1883, XLVii, 218, pi. i. 



Trachichthijs .y^eciosus^ Lowe, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 1889, p. 77; Fi.shes of Madeira, 55, pi. ix. 



HopJostethus japonicus, Hilgendorf, Sitzungsb. Gesellsch. Naturf. Freunde, Berlin, 1879, 78. 



Eye large, its diameter longer than snout, and about one-third the length of the head. 

 Abdominal plates 9 to 13 in number. Body above with very small roughish scales; sides in 

 young nearly or quite naked (example seen) ; scaly in the adult. Pectorals reaching first 

 soft ray of anal; veutrals to vent; fins rather low. Color silvery, rosy in life; fins scarlet, 

 peritoneum and inside of mouth black. 



Kadial formula: D. VI, 12-1.5; A. in, 8-11; V. i, G; L. lat. 28-31. 



Specimens of this species have been di.scovered at distant intervals of time at consid 

 erable depth (the precise depth is not known) in the western parts of the Mediterranean, 

 oft' Madeira, and recently also- in the sea of Japan. Dr. Hilgendorf was of opinion that 

 he could specifically distinguish Japanese specimens by a somewhat larger number of ab- 

 dominal scutes. This would have been a character insiguilicant enough, even if the Japan- 

 ese specimens had not sometimes the same number of scutes as the Mediterranean. A 

 more important difference seems to be the structure of the scales, which I find in Japanese 

 specimens, on the whole, less strongly ctenoid than the Madeiran. But even in this respect 

 there is no constancy in specimens from either of the two localities. {(Hinthey.) 



Specimens have been obtained by the Alhafros.i as follows: From station 2125, in 11° 43' 

 N. lat., 69° 09' .30" W. Ion., at a depth of 208 fathoms; station 2370, in 20° 03' 15" N. lat., 

 88° IG" W. Ion., at a dei)th of 321 fathoms; Cat. No. 35656, U. S. N. M., from station 2232, 

 in 38° 37' 30" K lat., 73° 11' W. Ion., at a depth of 213 fathoms, and Cat. No. 35414, TJ. 

 S. N. M., from station 2176, in 39° 32' 30" N. lat., 72° 21' 30" W. Ion., at a depth of 302 

 fathoms. Also by the Fish Hairh as follows : Cat. No. 28879, U. S. N. M., from station 1026, 

 in 390 50' 30" N. lat., 71° 23' W. Ion., at a depth of 182 fathoms; Cat. No. 28906, U. S. N. 

 M., from station 1025, in 39° 49' N. lat., 71° 25' W. Ion., at a depth of 21G fathoms; Cat. 

 No. 290.52, U. S, N. M., from station 1045. in 38° 35' N. lat., 73o 13' W. Ion., at a depth of 

 312 fathoms; Cat. No. .30277, U. S. N. M., from station 998, in 39° 43' N. hit., 71° :V2' \V. 

 Ion., at a depth of 302 fathoms, and Cat. No. 26726, U. S. N. M., from station 897, in 37° 25' 

 N. lat., 740 18' W. Lon., at a depth of 157i fathoms. 



HOPLOSTETHUS ATLANTIC US, Collett. 



HoploHethits alJanticus, Collett, Bull. Soc. Zoiil, France, 1889, 306. 



Height of body contained 2.7 times in the total length (caudal included); length of 

 head 3 times. Diameter of the eye a little greater than the length of the snout; contained 



