174 



Snout much shorter than the eye, which is a third the length of the head 

 and almost enters the dorsal profile. Nostrils large, situated immediately in 

 front of the eye. 



Mouth-cleft wide, approaching the transverse ; premaxilla short and slender ; 

 the broad maxilla, composed of three longitudinal plates, of which the innermost 

 (uppermost) is movable, reaches just behind the level of the mid-orbit, and in- 

 cludes the mandible in repose, except anteriorly, where the latter strongly pro- 

 jects. Small, even, acute, uniserial teeth, recurved in the premaxilla, mandible, 

 palatines, and vomer, procurrent or procurved in the maxilla. Tongue large. 

 A row of pores along the limb of the mandible. 



Gill-openings very wide, the membranes entirely separate ; fourth gill-cleft 

 occluded ; gill-rakers long and close-set on the first three arches, longest on the 

 first. Pseudobranchise large and coarse. 



Scales large, deciduous, except on the lateral line where they are adherent 

 and perforated. There are scales on the cheeks and opercles. 



The dorsal fin begins just behind the origin of the ventrals, which are situat- 

 ed in the vertical through the middle of the body measured without the caudal. 

 The anal begins in the vertical through the third dorsal ray. Both these fins 

 have fleshy succulent bases, and the rays increasing in length regularly and 

 steeply to the fourth, and then decreasing as regularly but more gradually to the 

 last. Caudal symmetrically forked. Pectorals long and narrow ; their longest 

 rays equal the length of the head behind the anterior nostril, and in repose almost 

 touch the bases of the ventrals. Ventrals broad, i*eaching slightly beyond the 

 vent. 



Stomach large ; intestine coiled in a spiral ; five or six large pyloric cpeca. 



Colours in the fresh state r-^-Head uniform deep black, body pinkish brown, 

 fins transparent grey ; buccal membrane and entire peritoneum black. 



A female specimen, 10- inches long, with gravid ovaries, the mature ova 

 measurine: - of au inch in diameter. 



Arabian Sea, off the Lacadives, 740 fathoms. 



Regd. No. 12869. 



Besides this species the remains of two others from the Andaman Sea are in 

 the collection. One of them may be B. macrolefis, Gtlir., the other may be 

 J5. microlepis, Gthr. 



Naecetes, Alcock. 



Karcetes, Alcock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Oct. 1890, p. 305. 



Differs from Alepocephalus only in the following particulars : — 

 There are teeth on the maxillae, as well as on the premaxilloe. There are 

 seven branchiostegals. The anal fin is entirely behind the dorsal. 



