DISCUSSION OK SI'Kl'IKS AM) rilKIR IHS ri;l lif TION. 4G5 



5 fioiu station :.'3.SS, .l///<i//(».s-.v; l' young ('xanipk'S lioni Allmtroxn station L'Kit; 1 young 

 from station li4()(i, and 2 young ones from station 240'. 



Tlie tyi)es of tbe desciiiitioii are the spccinicns from station 23(iL', N. lat. L'2^ OS' 30" 

 W. Ion. 8GO '>:',' ;J0", from 2.') fatiionis, off Cape Catoclie, Yucatan. The otlier localities are 

 as follows: station 2388, ]SI. hit. 20'^ 21/ 30", \\'. Ion. 88-' 01', from 35 fathoms, (iulf of Mexico; 

 station 2404, N. lat. 28° 44', W. Ion. 850 u;\ from <iO fathoms, Gulf of Mexico; station 240»;, 

 N. hit. 28^5 40', W. Ion. 84° 40', from 26 fathoms. Gulf of Mexico; station 2407, N. lat. 28^ 

 47' 30", W. Ion. 840 37', from 24 fathoms, Gulf of Mexico. 



PRIONOTUS ECiliKTTA, Cooi.K aii<l Ki;,vx, n. n. (Fisur.! .S81.) 



The standard length, wiiich is the total length without the caudal, is 100 millimeters. 

 The body is rather slender, rapidly tapering posteriorly. Tiie greatest height, wliich is at 

 the ventrals (23 nullimeters), is contained 4,^ times in tlie standard leiigtli. The least heiglit 

 of the tail (7 millimeters) e(iuals half the length of the intermaxUlary. The head is moder- 

 ately long, its greatest length (40 millimeters) contained 25 times in the staudard length. 

 The snout does not-descend so abruptly as in P. militdriHH and is without i)rojectious from 

 the front. Its length (17 millimeters) is half the length of the ventral. The width of the 

 interorbital space (0 nullimeters) equals half the long diameter of the eye (42 millimeters). 

 The length of the eye is contained 3.^ times in that of the head. Tlie spines of the head are 

 moderately strong and are witiiout sul)sidiary basal spines. The length of the spine at the 

 angle of the preoperculum is nearly e(iual to that of the opercular spine, and is nearly half 

 thelength of thesnout. The exposed edges of the boin^s of the head are minutely serrated, but 

 the teeth at the end of the snout are slightly enlarged. Humeral spine small, nuchal spines 

 not well developed. One or two spines at the front of the snj)raorbital and two or three at its 

 posterior portion. About 9 developed gill rakers on the anterior arch ; the longest of theui 

 about 2 millimeters in lengtli. Teetli in villiform bands in the Jaws and on the vomer and 

 palate. The vomerine band \ ery narrow. The length of the maxilla (14 nnliimeters) nearly 

 cue- third the length of the head. The length of the mandible (17 millimeters) equals 

 the length of the snout. The mandible reaches ueaiiy to the vertical from the front of the 

 eye. A very slight groove across the nape immediately behind the eyes continued down- 

 ward by an interspace between the preopercle and operele. The distance of the dorsal 

 from the tip of the snout (30 millimeters) is about e(]ual to the length of the head. The 

 base of the spinous dorsal (24 millimeters) equals the leugtli of the head without the suout; 

 the first spine is coarsely serrated for the first sixth of its length, and is produced into a 

 filament, which extends beyond the end of the caudal when laid back, making the leugtli 

 of the first spine (117 nullimeters) greater than the standard length of the fish; several of 

 the succeeding spines are also weakly serrated on their anterior margin. The length of 

 the second spine (22 nullimeters) nearly ecpial to that of the base of the fin. The last three 

 spines are very small. The first ray of the second dorsal is also serrated on its anterior 

 margin ; the rays greatly increase in size posteriorly to the ninth, which is nearly one-half as 

 long as the head. The base of the second dorsal (28 millimeters) is twice as long as the 

 maxilla. The caudal is somewhat emarginate, the length of the middle rays (2G millimeters) 

 a trifie longer than tlie base of the si)iiious dorsal. The anal origin is almost directly under 

 that of the second dorsal. The length of the spine (7 millimeters) is about two-thirds that 

 of the first ray. The anal rays increase in length posteriorly, the length of the ninth (14 

 millimeters) being one-half of the base of the second dorsal. The length of the pectoral 

 (34 millimeters) is less than the length of the head; the fin when extended reaches to the 

 vertical ftom the fourth ray of the second dorsal. The longest separate ray of the pectoral 

 (28 millimeters) is as long as the base of the second dorsal. The shortest sei)arate ray (20 

 millimeters) is one half the length of the head. Ventral when extended reaches to the 

 origin of the anal. Tlie scales are very small, about <J rows between the origin of the sec- 

 ond dorsal and the lateral line, and about 32 rows between the lateral line and the vent. 

 About 00 tubes in the lateral line; nearly 100 oblique rows can be counted between the head 

 and the caudal fin. 



iyS«8-No. 2 30 



