POBO BRONCHUS. 1 4a 



STOMIASUNCULUS. 



Stomiasunculus barbatus, Kaup, Ann. i^- Maq Nat. Hist. 1860, vi. 

 p. 270, pi. 3. fig. C. 



This is evidentlj' the young of Stomias or of a lish very closely 

 allied to it. The specimen in the British Museum is in a bad state, 

 but traces of the peculiar scale-pouches of Stomias may be distinctly 

 seen. The barbel (with the hyoid) is more advanced towards the 

 symphysis than in the adult figured by Valenciennes, pi. 545 ; the 

 relative position of this barbel changes with the position of the bone, 

 which is moveable. There are really no ventral fins; and future obser- 

 vations must show whether their absence is a character of the young 

 state, or whether it is indicative of the existence of a species hitherto 

 unknown. These fins are very small in Stomias harhatus. I cannot 

 agree with Mr. Gill, who compares this fish to a larval Clupeoid. 

 a. One of the typical specimens. Messina. From Dr. Kaup. 



ESUNCULUS. 



Esunculus costai, Kaup, Apod. p. 143, fig. 3. 

 Even if a family of Leptocephalidas be admitted into the system, 

 to take its place near the apodal Physostomi, the fish described by 

 Dr. Kaup under the name of Esunculus could not bo referred to 

 it, being possessed of abdominal ventral and three distinct vertical 

 fins, of which the dorsal is nearly opposite to the anal. This fish 

 is clearly the young of a form belonging to one of the more highly 

 organized Physostomous families, perhaps of Alepocephalus. 



POROBRONCHUS. 



Helminthostoma delle Chiaje, Cocco, 



Porobronchus linearis, Kaup, Ann. ^- Mag. Nat. Hist. 1860, vi. p. 272, 

 pi. 3. tig. D. 

 This is the name given by Dr. Kaup to young Fierasfer acvs. He 

 figures an example without pectoral fins, which is in the British 

 Museum, and in which, indeed, these fins cannot be discovered. 

 They appear to Have been torn off" during the examination of the 

 specimen. Other examples wliich I have obtained have the pectoral 

 fins well developed. The first dorsal ray, which is sometimes us long 

 as one-half of the fish, disappears entirely with age. From notes 

 made by me many years ago, I see that these fishes have been named 

 " Helminthostoma delle Chiaje, Cocco,'" but I am unable to find a 

 reference to this name in a published work. 



A fish known from a drawing by Dr. Hooker, and named Prym- 

 notJionu\hooheri by Richardson (Voy. Ereb. & Terr. Fish. p. 51, 

 pi. 30. figs. 6 ik 7), appears to belong to the Mursenidas. The speci- 

 men was 1| inch long. Habitat not recorded. I reproduce the 

 drawing in order to draw attention j^o this remarkable form. 



