REPORT ON THE DEEP-SEA FISHES. 



29 



prseoperculum subvertical; lower jaw slightly prominent; cleft of the mouth rather 

 oblique; the maxillary reaches to below the anterior portion of the eye, and is moderately 

 dilated behind. Origin of the dorsal fin somewhat nearer to the extremity of the snout 

 than to the caudal fin, and behind the base of the ventrals, which is below that of the 

 pectorals; the last dorsal ray is above the middle of the anal. Pectoral fin lone, ex- 

 tending at least to the middle of the anal fin. The scales, which are lost, appear to 

 have been of unusually large size; there were, perhaps, not more than eighteen along 

 the lateral line. Black. 



Habitat. — South of New Guinea. 



Ofi'the Arrou Islands, Station 191 ; depth, 800 fathoms. One specimen, 3 inches long. 



Melamphaes robustus, n. sp. 



D. 13(?x\). A. i. 



V. ^. 



L. lat. 33. 



The height of the body is two-sevenths of the total length (without caudal); the 

 length of the head a little less than two-fifths ; the least depth of the tail is two-fifths 

 of its free portion. Head thick, with the usual muciferous cavities; snout short ; eye 

 very small, about one-eighth of the length of the head and one-half of that of the snout. 

 Posterior margin of the prseoperculum subvertical; lower jaw slightly prominent; cleft 

 of the mouth rather oblique, wide, extending beyond the eye. Maxillary dilated behind. 

 Origin of the dorsal fin midway between the end of the snout and the root of the caudal, 

 somewhat behind the base of the ventrals, which are distinctly thoracic. The last dorsal 

 ray is opposite to the first of the anal. Upper pectoral rays elongate and reaching to 



the vent; ventrals rather short. Uniform black. 



Millims. 

 Total length, ........ 53 



Depth of the body, 



Length of the head. 

 Diameter of the orbit, . 

 Length of the caudal fin. 



m 

 n' 



2 



8 



Habitat. — Mid- Atlantic, south-west of Sierra Leone, Station 106 ; depth, 1850 

 fathoms. One specimen which has lost its scales, and has most of the fin-rays broken. 



Melamphaes heanii, Gthr. 



Plectromus crassiceps, Bean, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 1885, p. 73. 



D. T^^.. A. ^,. V. 8. P. 15. L. lat. ca. 25. 



ll-)2- 



The length of the head is one-third, the depth of the body two-sevenths of the 

 total length, without caudal. The eye is about two-ninths of the length of the head. 



