1885.] PKOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. GOo 



that of head. Length of mandible (15'"™) equal to greatest height of 

 body. Jaws, vomer, and palatines with narrow bands of villiforni teeth, 

 none of which are enlarged. Gill-rakers, 15 on anterior arch below 

 the angle, 3 rudimentary ones above. 



The anterior j)air of nostrils are nearly on top of the snout, and some- 

 what nearer to its tip than to the eye, separated by a very narrow space, 

 and placed immediately in front of the middle of the eye. Behind each 

 posterior nostril is a strong spine projecting outward and backward. 

 Pores of the head arranged much as in Bathyonus. 



Scales minute. Lateral line not clearly to be made out. Three rows 

 of minute pores on each side — dorsal, median, and ventral,, beginning 

 near the head and extending well toward the extremity of the tail. 



Dorsal origin slightly behind vertical through pectoral base; its dis- 

 tance from the snout (25"'") nearly G times in length of body. Its rays 

 are moderately long, the longest about as long as the snout (one-fourth 

 of head), and very numerous. 



Anal origin in vertical from twenty-second or twenty-third dorsal 

 ray; its distance from the snout (44'^"") 3j times in length of body. Its 

 rays about as long as those of the dorsal. 



Pectoral imperfect, its length in the tyi^e equals one-half that of the 

 head. 



Ventral a bifid filament, placed close to the humeral symphysis, well 

 in advance of the pectoral; its length (15""^) equal to height of body. 

 Distance from origin of ventrals to vent (22""") nearly equal to length 

 of head. The ventral does not reach to the vent by a distance equal to 

 length of snout. 



Color, blackish brown. 



Bathyonus, new generic name. 



=Bathynectes, Gtlir., preoccnpiecl in Crustacea. 



Bathyonus is closely related to Dicrolene, which, however, has a form 

 much less elongate, the lower pectoral rays differentiated from the rest 

 of the fin, the ventral always bifid, and strong si>ines upon both oper- 

 culum and preoperculum. 



Bathyonus catena, n. s. 



The types (No. 37341) are from Albatross station 2379, north lat- 

 itude 280 00' 15", west longitude 87° 42', J, 467 fathoms. The length of 

 the longest is 237 millimeters, of the other 227 millimeters. 



Description : Body very elongate, much compressed, and tapering 

 into a slender, whip-like tail. Its height (19""") is contained 1^ times 

 in length of head and 12i times in that of the body. 



Head stoutish, not much compressed, higher than body, its length 

 (27™™) contained 8f times in that of body. Interorbital area somewhat 

 convex, its width (measured upon the bone) equal to the diameter of 

 the eye and about equal to that of the snout, and contained 5 times in 

 the length of head. 



