4. MALACOSTETTS. 427 



3. ECHIOSTOMA. 



Echiostoma, Lowe, 1'roc. Zool. Soc. 1843, p. 87. 



Body elongate, compressed, scaleless, with the vent situated at no 

 great distance from the caudal fin. Head rather compressed, with 

 the snout short and with the cleft of the mouth very wide. Teeth 

 pointed, unequal in size, those of the intermaxillary and of the 

 anterior part of the mandible being the longest ; maxillary teeth in a 

 .single series, those of its lower two-thirds being very small ; teeth of 

 the hinder part of the mandible in a double or treble series ; vomer with 

 a pair of fangs ; palatines with a single series of small pointed teeth ; 

 two groups of similar teeth on the tongue. Eye of moderate size. 

 Opercular portion of the head very narrow and flexible. A fleshy 

 barbel is suspended from the centre of the hyoid region. Dorsal fin 

 opposite the- anal, close to the caudal ; caudal forked. Pectoral and 

 ventral fins feeble, the latter inserted behind the middle of the length 

 of the body. Series of phosphorescent dots run along the lower side 

 of the head, body, and tail. Gill-openings very wide ; the outer 

 branchial arch with minute gill-rakers ; pseudobranchine none. Air- 

 bladder none. 



Madeira. 



1. Echiostoma barbatum. 



Echio9toma barbatum, Lotve, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1843, p. 88 (not Stomias 

 barbatus, Risso). 



B. 12. D. 12-15. A. 16-18. P. 3-5. V. 8. 



The height of the body is contained eight times in the total length 

 (with the caudal fin), the length of the head six times and three- 

 fourths ; the barbel is much shorter than the head, and not fringed 

 at its extremity. The upper pectoral ray is produced into a very 

 long and fine filament which reaches nearly to the root of the ventral ; 

 ventral fin narrow, prolonged. Black, with an elongate club-shaped 

 rose-coloured spot between the maxillary bone and the eye. 



Madeira. 



a. Fine specimen, 9 inches long. Madeira. 



The spot below the eye is of a white colour in the preserved speci- 

 men, and is the surface of an oblong body imbedded between the 

 muscles, which probably has phosphorescent properties in the live 

 fish. 



4. MALACOSTEUS. 



Malacosteus, Ayres, in Journ. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 1849, p. 53. 

 Body elongate, compressed, scaleless, with the vent situated at no 

 great distance from the caudal fin. Head rather compressed, with 

 the snout very short and with the cleft of the mouth exceedingly 

 wide. Teeth pointed, unequal in size, in single series, in the inter- 

 maxillary, maxillary, mandible, and on the tongue ; none on the 

 palate. Eye of moderate size ; opercular apparatus membranaceous. 

 A fleshy barbel is suspended from the hyoid region. Dorsal fin 



