104 



Villiform teeth in broadish bands in the premaxillse and mandible, and in very 

 narrow bands on the palatines and expanded head of the vomer. 



The edge of the preoperculum is smooth. As in Dij)lacanthoponia and 

 Smcogaster there are only three enlarged gill-rakers on the outer side of the 

 first branchial arch, and these are in the upper half of the arch. 



The fin-rays are all extremely delicate ; the dorsal fin, which begins about 

 a snout-length behind the level of the gill-opening, and the anal, which begins 

 nearly a head-length behind the same level, are confluent with the caudal at its 

 base. The narrow pointed pectorals are a little longer than the combined 

 eye and snout. There are no traces of ventrals. 



Colour : uniform sepia, fins black. 



The largest specimen, which is a gravid female, is a little over 1 1 inches 

 long. 



Off Travancore coast, 824 and 902 fathoms : Gulf of Manar, 7' 58' N., 937 

 fathoms : Bay of Bengal, near the Andaman Islands, 606 fathoms. 



■D J AT I0lf70 339 340 372 590 



Regd. JNos. 13172, —, — , ~, -^. 



This species is viviparous in almost exactly the same way as Diplacantho- 

 poma Bivers-Andersoui. 



Family BlacruriclCB. 



Head large, with the mxiciferous cavities well developed ; trunk short : 

 tail long, compressed, gradually tapering to a filament. Scales present on 

 the body and generally on the head. Two dorsal fins, the first, which 

 arises just behind the head, being short ; the second, which arises either 

 immediately or a short distance behind the first, being continued to the 

 tip of the tail. Anal nearly similar in extent to the second dorsal. No 

 caudal. Ventral fins thoracic or jugular, composed of several (6-12) rays. 

 No pseudobranchiae. Six or seven branchiostegals. Air-bladder present. 

 Pyloric appendages numerous. 



This family has been added to our knowledge of the Indian Fauna by the 

 researches of the " Investigator." Eighteen Indian species, belonging to two 

 genera, are now known. Of these, thirteen seem to be peculiar to Indian waters, 

 and five occur in other seas. The five that are found elsewhere are Macrurus 

 (GoelorJiynchus) parallelus and Macrurus nasutus from Japan ; Macrtims {Mysta- 

 conurus) cavernosus (probably identical with Macrurus italicus of the Mediterra- 

 nean) and Bathygadtis longifilis which are also known from the "West Indian and 

 Madeiran regions ; and Macrurus (Malacocephalus) laevis from the North Atlantic 

 and Brazil coast. 



