478 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



them with lue, aud the decisioa has been reached that they should be 

 placed ia a new genus of the family CotUdcc. Professor Jordan consid- 

 ers this genus as forming one of the most abnormal types of Gottidw, 

 approaclied through Cottimculus and Psijchrolutes, and also closely allied 

 to Liparidce. 



AMITEA, uew genus. 



Cottoid fishes, with small head, elongate, attenuate, body covered with 

 thick, lax, slimy skin. Ventral tins absent. Opercular stray present. 

 Pseudobranchiai present. Gills 3i, without slit behind last (!). Gill- 

 opeuiugs closed below, restricted to small slits under the very small oper- 

 culum. Operculum very small, strap-shaped. Lower jaw included 

 within the upper. Teeth weak, paved. First five rays of the dorsal 

 non-articulate, the others grading gradually into tne flexible rings. 



32. Amitra liparina, new species. 



Description. — Body elongate, compressed posteriorly, very thin at 

 the tail, covered with a gelatinous, lax, transparent skin, which is sep- 

 arated from the body and the fins by a filmy, mucous intertissue. Great- 

 est height of body (18) contained five and one-half times in its length, 

 without caudal. 



Head thick, convex between eyes, its greatest width (11) nearly three- 

 fourths its length (15), which is contained six and two-third times in the 

 length of the body. Snout convex, protruding. Mouth under the snout 

 and far back from its tip. Eyes lateral, in diameter (3) about half the 

 width of the interorbital area (5). JSTostril in front of eye. Pores along 

 the upper lip. When the head is viewed from directly in front the 

 opening of the mouth seems to be convex upward. 



The dorsal fin begins over the end of the pectoral, and the rays and 

 outline of this, as well as of the anal, are hardly visible througli the 

 thicU, lax skin. The rays are thick, but very flexible. The anal begins 

 under the eighth to tenth dorsal ray. The dorsal and anal rays lie 

 closely connected with those of the caudal, which are somewhat larger, 

 and extend in a p«?ncil like point. 



The pectoral is broad, its lower base almost under the posterior margin 

 of the orbit. It is composed of twenty-three rays, the six lowest of 

 which are prolonged beyond the lower rays contiguous. The jugular 

 disk cannot be found. 



Radial formula: D. G7 ; A. 54; C. 0; P. 23, 



Color: Yellowish white, dusky toward the tail and blackish upon the 

 anterior part of the head. Abdominal cavity showing black through 

 the skin. 



Two other specimens of this or a related species were obtained (No. 

 26179) from station 894, in 305 fathoms of water, but they are in poor 

 condition and (;annot at present be made out. 



