
















































Proyinciat Museum Reporr. Q 19 
Nore.—The United States National Museum, Washington, have accepted for publication 
_ the notes prepared by Dr. C. H. Gilbert, announcing the discovery of this interesting species 
~ Benthodesmus in the Pacific. 
The Benthodesmus atianticus is uniform silvery in colour throughout, with traces of dark 
colour on the head and tail—length, 4144 inehes—and was caught by fishermen fishing for cod 
near Victoria on May 30th, 1916. (IF. IX.) pas 
“The only other known specimen was taken from the stomach of a halibut’ caught on the 
western edge of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland in SO fathoms.” (Goode & Bean.) (See 
Plate III.) 
ON THE OCCURRENCE OF BENTHODESMUS ATLANTICUS (GOODE & BEAN) ON THE 
; COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 
4 
x 
By Dr. C. H. G1ILeert, PROFESSOR OF ZOOLOGY, STANDARD UNIVERSITY, CAL. 
A specimen of Benthodesmus, 41% inches long, was obtained on May 30th, 1916, from a fish- 
dealer in Victoria, B.C., having been caught by fishermen off Bentinck Island, which lies near 
Race Rocks, about ten miles by water from Victoria. The specimen is the property of the 
Provincial Museum of Victoria, and has been submitted to us for identification by Mr. F. 
Kermode, the Director of the Museum. 
Description: Greatest width of body, 234 in height at vent. Length of caudal peduncle, 
half greatest height of body. Least height of tail, 44 bony interorbital width. Greatest width 
of head, % its length. Greatest height of head, 354 in its length. Width of interorbital area 
(bony), % height of head. Length of snout, 244 in head. Tip of maxillary not reaching the 
orbit, the length of maxillary equalling the postorbital part of head. Length of lower jaw, 17% 
times greatest height of body. Flexible part of Vem. un short in the preserved specimen, 
about 44 diameter of orbit. Kye postmedian, 544 in head, 2% in length of snout. 
Sides of maxillary with nine or ten triangular teeth, aniah decrease froin middle of sides of 
jaw both forwards and backwards. Two pairs of narrow compressed fangs in the anterior part 
of the upper jaw. the anterior pair immediately behind the tip, the posterior pair separated by 
a considerable interspace, but located in front of the series of compressed lateral teeth already 
described. In advance of th: most anterior of the compressed lateral teeth a series of six or 
seven short slender conical teeth continued forwards to the anterior pair of fangs and passing 
outside the posterior pair of fangs. Side of mandible with fourteen or fifteen compressed 
triangular teeth in a single series, decreasing in length forwards, and inclined slightly towards 
the front of the jaw. In advance of these, on each side of the symphysis, are two pairs of 
_ short retrorsely directed teeth, the anterior pair much shorter than the posterior pair. Other 
_ bones of the mouth toothless. 
First gill-arch with four or five or seven or eight slender short distant rakers, the longest 
about 2 mm. in length. Each rise from a plate which bears short spines, and between each pair 
of these plates, on the outer surface of the arch, are interposed two similar smaller plates which 
do not bear rakers. The rakers are borne only on the posterior third of the horizontal limb of 
the arch, but the spinous plates are continued farther forwards, and become merged along the 
anterior part of the arch in a narrow spinous strip. The other arches are similar to the first, 
but contain fewer free rakers. The upper pharyngeals are well toothed and work against the 
spinous plates on the horizontal limbs of the arches. 
First dorsal ray slightly in advance of the middle of the operculum, the front of the orbit 
midway between the first ray and the tip of the snout. There are 142 rays in all, the posterior 
the longest. The rays rise from the anterior ends of a series of interneural bones which form 
a sharp ridge along the dorsal profile. 
The vent is benéath the 46th dorsal ray, its distance from the tip of the snout 3'/; times 
the length of the head. Distance from vent to postanal seute, 54 diameter of orbit. Immediately 
behind the scute begins a series of eighty-eight interhwemals, which forms a continuous sharp 
ridge along the lower profile. The anterior ones befr no rays, but these gradually appear 
: posteriorly, about forty of the posterior plates bearing evident free rays, which increase in 
length posteriorly. 
> The pectorals contain twelve rays, the lower distinctly the longest, equalling the postorbital 
length of the head. Ventrals mutilated, their base posterior to that of pectoral by %5 diameter 
