ATOPICTHYES. 325 
the base of the pectoral below its middle. Vent hardly one fourth of the 
ocular length backward of the base of the pectoral. 
Dorsal low, originating one half of the orbital diameter behind the 
occiput, shorter rays backward and degenerating into a series of small, 
backward-curved, sharp pointed spines. These spines appear near the 
hundredth ray of the fin and continue for about a hundred rays farther 
back, where the character again approaches that of the ordinary fin rays. 
Anal much deeper than the dorsal, first ray below the seventeenth dorsal 
ray, posterior rays not modified like those in the dorsal fin. Pectorals 
narrow, little more than twice the orbital length. 
Lateral line with three series of small pores the upper and the lower of 
which open through short tubes while the median opens directly from the 
canal. In reality the pores are grouped in fours, as was figured by Brandt 
in 1850, the groups being separated by single pores of the median series. 
This grouping is a characteristic of the genus. 
Blackish with reddish tint over the muscular portions, probably black in 
life. On the specimen from the greater depth the dark color when under 
the lens is more diffused and does not appear as distinct puncticulations, as 
is the case on the specimen described above from a thousand fathoms and 
more nearer the surface. 
Station. Latitude. Longitude. Depth. Temperature. Bottom. 
3384 Torole30/INe 79° 14’ W. 458 fathoms 49° Bi. Gn. S. 
3434 25° 29’ 30” N. 109° 48’ W. 1588 36.4° F. Br. M. bk. Sp. 
ATOPICHTHYES. 
Heretofore certain pelagic, much compressed, band-like, translucent to 
transparent, larval fishes have been placed in the genus Leptocephalus of 
Gronow, 1763. The type of the genus is Leptocephalus Morrisii Penn., 1776, 
a larval form which has lately been traced to its adult in Murcena conger 
Linn., 1758, which, again, was the typical species of Risso’s genus Conger, 
1826. In consequence Leptocephalus has taken the place of Conger as the 
title of the genus and many of the Leptocephalids which do not belong to that 
genus and cannot yet be definitely located are left unnamed. That there is 
a considerable number gf these larval forms that cannot be placed in Lepto- 
cephalus, but that belong to various other genera not now determined with 
sufficient accuracy is evident enough from the figures and descriptions given 
