266 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



BATHYMETRICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



The data accompanying the lists of specimens taken by the Albatross as given in this 

 paper are partial extracts from the records of the voyage as given in the Report of the 

 United States Fish Commission for 1902 (p. 397-432, Washington, 1903). For more 

 full and detailed stational observations reference may be had to the original paper. 



It is worthy of note that no truly abyssal forms were captured unless we so consider 

 the two specimens of Latmotcuthis, the mangled condition of which may perhaps be 

 partly due to their having gotten considerably "out of their depth" when taken, as well 

 as to rocks in the dredge. A glance at the table of stations given in the appendix of this 

 report shows that the greatest depths from which any specimens of cephalopods were 

 obtained were those sounded at stations 3989 (385-733 fathoms, Heterotcuthis hawaiiensis , 

 Teleoteuthis compacta, Mastigoteuthis (?) famelica) , 4039 (670-697 fathoms, Eledonella sp.), 

 and 41 10 (449-460 fathoms, Polypus hoylei). In no other instances was a member of 

 the class obtained at a greater depth than 400 fathoms, and even in the cases above cited 

 it seems by no means improbable that some of the actively nectonic species may have 

 become ensnared in the dredge during its transit to the surface. Altogether it must be 

 admitted that even the archibenthal regions have been scarcely drawn upon, and it is 

 only concerning the reef and pelagic fauna that we can presume even a fair degree of 

 knowledge. The two latter habitats have each their characteristic group of species, 

 although certain of the smaller free-swimming forms are not uncommon in the reef pools, 

 and both attain the richness customary in tropical regions. As is well known in the case 

 of the fishes and other groups, many of the reef species are truly regal in their brilliantly 

 variegated coloring and other ornamentation. Polypus entirely fulfills expectations 

 in being the group most conspicuous on the reefs both in species and in number of indi- 

 viduals, but Euprymna and Sepioteuthis are also to be captured there. In the plankton 

 we find the usual run of more delicate, less actively swimming forms — Argonauta, 

 Tremoctopus,Tracheloteuthis, larval ommastrephids.histioteuthids, and octopods of various 

 species and genera, Liocranchia, and the omnipresent Euprymna — nearly all warm-water 

 species of wide dispersion. 



As is shown in the table following, five species, mainly of very active habit, are 

 found between the surface and the 100-fathom mark, the richest and by far the most 

 varied fauna of all occurring in the deeper water down to a depth of 400 fathoms. The 

 most remarkable bathymetric range exhibited by any single species is that of Euprymna 

 scolopes, which, though very abundant at or near the surface, is frequently met with in 

 all depths down to 130 or 140 fathoms and therefore appears in no less than four columns 

 of the table. Polypus hoylei is recorded from 257 to 460 fathoms. 



