60 NEW FISHES FROM PACIFIC COAST GILBERT. 



The bones are firm aud cartilaginous, not papery or with thin mem- 

 branous expansions as in other related species. 



Margins of preopercle entire, the bone firm, the posterior angle 

 scarcely produced, evenly rounded, the margin nearly vertical. No 

 evident ridge on opercle, which terminates posteriorly in a flexible 

 rounded process without spine. Mandibles meeting along median line 

 posteriorly, but not forming a ridge. Gill rakers as long as eye, slender, 

 about 14 below angle. 



Dorsal spines very weak, the third half as high as first soft ray. 

 Posterior line of occiput midway between tip of snout and origin of dor- 

 sal. Base of dorsal equals length of head behind middle of eye. Anal 

 small, its origin under base of last dorsal ray, the length of its base 

 equaling half iuterorbital width. Spine slender, about two-thirds 

 longest soft ray. Caudal mutilated, apparently forked. Pectorals long, 

 slender, falcate, with fourteen rays, the longest If in head. Ventrals 

 not reaching vent, with one spine and seven or eight soft rays, the 

 longest two in head. 



Scales large, caducous, with entire edges, covering the opercles but 

 lacking elsewhere on head. 



D. Ill, 15; A. I, 8. Lat. 1. 26. 



Color: Uniform brownish-black, the fins dusky. Mouth, gill-cavity, 

 and peritoneum black. 



A single specimen, 3J inches long, froQi Station 2923, in 822 fathoms. 



This species resembles very closely M. typhlops^ as figured by Gun- 

 ther (Deep-Sea Fishes, Challenger, PL V., fig. A). In fyphlops the 

 mouth is evidently larger, and the species is described as having six 

 dorsal spines and eleven rays, although the artist has represented it 

 with D. HI, 14. 



I am unable to ascertain to what extent luguhris approximates Plec- 

 tromus stihorbitalis Gill, as the description of the latter contains noth- 

 ing of specific value except the number of the fin rays. 



15. Melamphaes cristiceps sp. nov. 



System of mucous canals on head highly developed, their margins 

 raised into high thin crests, usually with undulating margins and more 

 or less serrulated. A rather long, sharp, slender spine, directed up- 

 wards and forwards on middle of snout. Two or three spines at lower 

 posterior angle of cheek ; marginal portion of preopercle extremely 

 thin and flexible, its lower limb sharply serrated. From the upper 

 anterior angle of opercle two ridges diverge, the one running back- 

 wards terminating in a spinous point. Opercular margin serrulate. 



Mandibles meeting on median line below, their edges produced to 

 form a conspicuous median crest. Their lateral margins form mem- 

 branous wings which combine with similar prolongations from the sub- 

 orbital bones to overlap the cleft of the mouth. 



