[125] 



CATALOGUE OF THE FISHES OF NORTH AMERICA. 



505.— LYCODALEPIS Bleeker. (428) 



1516. Lycodalepis mucosus Richardson. G. (1211) 



1517. Lycodalepis turner! Beau. A. (1*212) 



1518. Lycodalepis polaris Sabine. G. (1213) 



506.— GYMNELIS Reiuliardt, (429) 



1519. GymneUa viridis' Fabricius. G. A. (1214,1215?) 



507.— LYCOCARA - Gill. (430) 



1520. Lycocara parrii Ross. G. (1216) 



508.— MELANOSTIGMA3 Gunther. 



1521. Melanostigma gelatinosum Giiuther. B. 



Family CXL.— CERDALID^." 



509.— MICRODESMUS.* Guntber. 



1522. Microdesmus dipus Giinther. P. 



' I here omit Gymnelis stigma. It is probably baaed on an inaccurate description of 

 Gymnelis viridis. If, however, really possessing scales, it may belong to the Antarctic 

 genus Maynea (Cunningham), which dift'ers from Lycodes chiedy in the absence of 

 ventrals. 



5 Lycocara Gill. 



(Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1884, 180; type Oj)kidi urn parrii Ross.) 

 This name is a substitute for Uroiiecies, which is preoccupied. (AvHoi, wolf; xdpa, 

 head. ) * 



3 Melanostigma Giinther. 



(Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1881,21 ; type MelanosUgma gelatinosum Giinther.) 



AWieA to Gymnelis ; "technically distiuguished by the nmch more elongate teeth, 

 which in the jaws, as well as on the vomer and jjalatines, stand in single series." 

 Gill openings much smaller than in related forms, reduced to a small foramen above 

 the base of the pectoral. Skin loose and movable, as in Liparis, enveloping the ver- 

 tical fins; pectorals very small; ventrals, none. Body tapering very rapidly backward; 

 the tail very slender. Deep sea. (MsXa?, black; driyjua, spot.) 



Melanostigma gelatinosum Giinther. 



Purplish above ; sides grayish, marbled with darker, the end of the tail almost black. 

 Head large, deep, compressed ; the snout blunt. Eye large, 3| in head, longer than 

 snout. Cleft of mouth oblique, the maxillary reaching a little past front of pupil, 

 the lower jaw not projecting. Inside of mouth, gill openings and vent black. Dor 

 sal beginning above middle of pectoral, low in front, becoming higher than the part 

 of the body below it posteriorly. Head 6^. Deep waters of the Atlantic ; Martha's 

 Vineyard ; Straits of Magellan. 



(Giinther, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loudon, 1881, 21 ; Goode & Bean, Bull. Comp. Zool., 

 XIX, 1883, 209.) 



■• I suggest the provisional name Cerdalida for two closely related genera, Cerdale 

 Jordan & Gilbert, and Microdesmus Giinther, which seem to be allied to the Lycodidce, 

 differing in the small, slit-like gill openings and in the non-isocercal tail. The three 

 known species are scantily represented in collections, and until their osteology is ex- 

 amined we cannot be sure as to their relation to the Lycodidce, Congrogadidw, and 

 Brotulidce. 



"Microdesmus Giinther. 



Giinther, Proc. Zool. Soc, London, 1864, 26 ; type Microdesmus dipus Giinther.) 



Body anguilliform, covered with rudimentary scales. Head small, with short snout 



and small mouth; lower jaw projecting. Teeth minute, in jaws only. Gill opening 



reduced to a very narrow, somewhat oblique slit, in front of lower part of pectorals. 



Vertical fins well developed, the dorsal and anal joined to the caudal by a thin mem- 



