FISHES. — MCCULLOCH. 101 



counted forty scales along the lateral line, but this is obviously 

 an error. As both the type and the " Challenger" specimen are 

 rather small, and the figures of them are wanting in detail, I 

 have prepared a drawing of my largest specimen, which is repro- 

 duced in fig. 6. 



hoc— Great Australian Bight, Long. 129°28 'E., 350-450 

 fathoms; 14th May, 1913. 



HOPLOSTETHUS GIGAS, sp. }10V. 



(Plate xix.) 



Br. 8; D, v-vii./13-14 ; A. iii./9-10 ; V. i./6 ; P. 15; C. 

 vi./21/vi.; L. Lat. 28-30. Head 2.89-3.03, depth, 2.16-2.26 in 

 the length to the hypural. Eye 3.43-3.88, bony orbit 3.12-3.58, 

 interorbital space 2.94-3.23 and snout 3.88-3,97 in the head. 

 Last dorsal spine 2.55-3.12, longest ray 2.09-2.37, and third anal 

 spine 3.14-3.58 in the head. Snout 1-1.14, breadth of maxillary 

 1.2-1.31, longest gill-raker 1.33-1.55 in the eye. 



Body compressed, covered with moderately large scales, which 

 are a little less than half as wide as the enlarged ones on the 

 lateral line. They are very rough and have a broad striated 

 border ; their margins are more or less distinctly ctenoid. The 

 dorsal profile between the head and the first dorsal spine is raised 

 into an obtuse keel formed of slightly enlarged, and very rough 

 scutes. Eight to nine very large abdominal scutes, which are 

 coarsely striated and end in large spines. 



Head rough, exposed surfaces of the bones finely granular; 

 the spaces between them are covered with thin, transparent 

 membrane. Operculum with coarsely granular radiating striae, 

 and without distinct spines, Preoperculum with a double border, 

 the angle with a spine in the smallest specimen, which is lacking 

 in the others. Eye very large, in the upper half of the head. 

 Interorbital space convex. Mouth oblique, maxillary reaching 

 to a little behind the posterior margin of the eye ; its upper half 

 is formed of an oblong, roughened, supplemental bone. Nostrils 

 directly before the upper part of the eye ; the anterior is about 

 half as large as the posterior. Lower jaw projecting, with two 

 bony tubercles at the symphysis. Suprascapular exposed, its 

 upper margin curved and denticulated, and there is a strong 

 spine overhanging the origin of the lateral line ; below this there 

 is a second more or less distinct spine. 



Teeth villiform, in bands along the whole length of the pre- 

 maxillaries and mandible, A broad band, of moderate length, 

 on each palatine ; none on the vomer. At the junction of the 

 basibranchial bones and each gill arch there is a large patch of 



