164 



The scales and almost all tlie luminous organs liave been denuded : tliere 

 are opaque white glandular organs still left on the caudal peduncle, both dorsally 

 and ventrally. 



The dorsal fin begins nearer to the tip of the snout than to the base of the 

 caudal, its first ray is almost in the vertical through the base of the ventrals ; 

 the entire fin is nearly half an eye-length in advance of the anal. Adipose fin 

 well developed. 



The pectorals reach at least to the sixth anal ray. 



About five large pyloric c*ca. A well developed air-bladder. 



Colours, apparently black. Iris and lower part of opercles like burnished 

 silver, the opercles in the fresh state brilliantly coruscating. 



A mature female is over 3 inches long. 



Bay of Bengal, off Madras coast, 920 to 690 fathoms. 



Res-d. No. 12839. 



^o 



Neoscopelus, Johnson. 



Neoscopelus, Joha3on, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1863, p. H: Giinther, Cat. Fishea, V. p. 405 : Goode and Bean, Oceanic 

 Ichthyology, p. 92. 



Neoscopelus differs from Scopelus in having a rather long and distinctly 

 depressed snout; a narrower mouth-cleft, which reaches only as far as the 

 posterior border of the orbit ; a smaller eye ; scales with minute spines, and an 

 anal fin much more remote from the dorsal. The maxilla also is much more 

 dilated posteriorly. 



The argument, therefore, for recognizing it as a distinct genus is very 



strong. 



133. Neoscopelus iiiacrolepidotns, Johnson. 



Neoscoyelus maa-olepiJotus, Johnson, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 41, pi. 7 : Vaillant, Exp. Sci. Travaillenr et Talisman, 

 Poiss. p. 119: Aleock, Ann. Hag. Nat. Hist., (6) VIII. 1S91, p. 129 ; Goode and Bean, Oceanic Ichthyology, p. 93, 

 figs. 108, 109. 



Scopeltis nMcrolepidotiis, Giinther, Cat. Fishes, V. p. 41-1, and Challenger Deep-Sea Fishes, p. 196. 



B. 9. D. 13. A. 13. P. 15-16. V. 8. L. lat. 30. 



Length of the head about a third, height of the body about two-ninths the 

 total length without the caudal. Snout broad, somewhat depressed, decidedly 

 longer than the eye, its tip formed by the prominent mandible. Nostrils almost 

 superior. Eye situated almost midway between the tip of the snout and the 

 vertical limb of the preoperculum, its length about a fifth that of the head and 

 decidedly less than the width of the interorbital space. 



