88 

 Bassozetus, Gill. 



Bassozefi/s, Gill, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. VI. 1883, p. 259: Goode and Bean, Oceanic Ichtliyolngy, p. 321 : 

 Jordan and Evermann, Fishea of North America, III. p. 2507. 



BaHii/on 11.5, Goode and Bean, Proo. U. S. Nat. Mus. VIII. 1886. p. 603 : GUnther, Cliallenger Deep Sea 

 Fishes, p. 321. 



.'' Moebia, Goode and Bean, Oceanic Ichthyology, p. 331 : Jordan and Evonnann, Fishes of North America, III. 

 p. 2510. 



I follow Goode and Bean in substituting the name Bassozetus for Biithijonus, but the fact remains that 

 Bassozetus was quite insufficiently characterized by its author. 



Head and body compressed, the body low and very elongate, tlie end of 

 the tail lash-like : the bones of the head soft, almost membranaceous. Both 

 head and body covered with small, deciduous, cycloid scales. 



Lateral line indistinguishable. 



Snout hardly overhanging the lower jaw, somewhat depressed ; without 

 barbels. Mouth wide. Villiform teeth in bands on the jaws and palatines and 

 in a A-shaped band on the vomer. 



Bye small. 



Gill-openings wide : operculum with a feeble spine above. Eight brauchi- 

 ostegals. Pseudobrauchii^ rudimentary or absent. Preoperculum large, usually 

 extending far back over the other opercular bones, its edge entire. 



Dorsal and anal fins confluent with the caudal The ventrals arise close 

 together at the clavicular symphysis : each consists of either one or two fila- 

 ments. 



Air-bladder present. No pyloric cseca. 



This genus is very closely related to Neobythites, from which it only differs 

 in the following particulars : — 



(1) the tail is long and lash-like and the body altogether lower and more 

 elongate : 



(2) the bones of the head are very thin and soft : 



(3) the angle of the preoperculum forms a sort of semicircular lobe extend- 

 ing some way over the other opercular bones. 



Distribution : Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, at great depths. Nematonu,s and 

 Mixontis are probably not distinct from Bassozetus. 



68. Bassozetus gliithiosus (Alcock). 



Bathyonus fflutinosus, Alcock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Sept. 1890, p. 211 ; Illustratio.ns op the Zoology of the 

 Invkstigatob, Fishes, pl. I. fig. 3. 



D. circ. 125. A. circ. 105. P. 29-30. V. 1. 



Length of the head about one-fifth the total : greatest height of the body 

 three-fifths the length of the head. 



