DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND THEIR DlSTKlBUTION. 461 



Mouth oblique, curved, ils angle in tlie vertical through the front margin of thw eyes; 

 length of gape equal to that of snout, and contained r, times in that of head. Teetn very 

 feeble. Nostrils tubular, nearer to eye tlian to tip of snout. 



Dorsal origiu in tlie xcrtieal through middle of eyes; the fin contains 90 rays, includ- 

 ing half (jf caudal, the length of the longest 3i times in greatest heigiit of l)ody. 



Distance of anal origin from snout 4] times in total length; the anal contains 71» rays, 

 and its greatest height is ecjual to that of the dorsal. 



Length of median caudal rays contained 10 tinu's in total length. 



Distance of ventral origin fnmi snout <i times in total length; the vential is sei)arated 

 from the anal by a distance e<iual to one third the length of head; its length is contained 

 'Jj times in that of head; it consists of i rays. 



Color uniform gray, lighter below, the scales id)ove somewhat metalhc in luster. The 

 last fourth of the dorsal has three oblong black blotches somewhat larger than the eye; 

 the anal with four similarly placed. In the young there is a slight brownish marginal line 

 upon each scale, and an ai)pearance of indistinct cloudings of brown upon the colored .side. 



Radial formula; D. 'JO; A. 7!>; V. 4; scales 8.j-;r.. 



The species is described from a specimen obtained by the Albatross from station 2414, 

 (lat. 2.3^ 04' 30" X., Ion. 82^ .")9' lo" W.; depth, 20 fathoms). Its length is 140 ndllimeter.s 

 to base of caudal. The body is somewhat slender, its greatest height (43 millimeters) con- 

 tained 3;^ times in its length without caudal. 



Specimens were also taken by the J/fc^/mss from station 2302, in 22- 08' 30" N. lat., 

 86° 53' 30" W. Ion., at a depth of 25 fathoms; from stations 2121, 2122, between 10^ 37' 40" 

 N. lat., 61° 42' 40 " W. Ion., and lO-^ 37' N. lat., 61° 44' 22" W. Ion., at a de|)th of from 31 

 to 34 fathoms. The Blake also sec-ured examples from station xxiv, oft" Dominica, and 

 station xxv. 



APHORISTIA rrSIl.LA, Gooue and Be.vn. (Figure 379.) 



Aphorintin pusiUa, Goode and Bean, Prof. U. S. Nat. Mus., viii, 1885, .590. 



Tlie body is slender, lanceolate, its greatest height contained 3i times in its total 

 length. The scales are small, strongly and sharply denticulated, 85 to 90 in a longitudinal 

 and 38 in a. transverse series. Jaws and snout entirely covered with scales. 



The length of the head is contained 5 times in tola! length; the length of the snout in 

 that of the head 5^ times', and etiuals the diameter of the eye. 



Eyes small, very closely api)roximated in the same vertical line. The no.stril is tubu- 

 lar, placed midway between the lower eye and the tip of the snout. 



Mouth small, oblique, curved, its posterior angle under the anterior margin of the 

 pupil of the lower eye, the length of its gape in that of the head ^ times, in greatest height 

 of body 08 times. Dentition feeble. 



The dorsal tiu begins in the vertical through tlie pupils and is composed of 7S rays; 

 its greatest height is contained 2% times in that of body. 



The anal is separated from the snout by a di.stance about equal to the height of the 

 body, and 7i times the length of the snout. It has 70 rays; its greatest height equals one- 

 third that of body. 



The median caudal rays are short, their length contained eleven times in total. 



The distance of the ventral from the snout is contaiiu'd about 4i times in total length 

 of body; its length equals twice the diauiecer of the eye. Its distance from the anal iMpials 

 twice the diameter of the eye. 



Color, light brown, with (! or 7 crossbars of slightly darker hue. Blind side light. 



The species is described from a siiecimen (Cat. No. 28730, U. S. N. .M.), 55 millimeters 

 long, taken by the Fish Hawk in 40^ 07' 48" N. lat., 70° 45' 54" W . Ion., about 80 tathoms, 

 and a specimen (Cat. No. 28778 U. S. N. M.), taken by the same vessel in 40= 01' N. lat., 

 69° 50' W. Ion., from off Marthas Vineyard, 170 fathoms. 



