^°l89o"' ] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, 61 



Head long, 2f in length ; depth, 3f ; length of caudal peduncle, 4-^. 

 Greatest depth of caudal peduncle, one-half its length. Head narrower 

 than in M. lurjuhris, its anterior profile descending more gradually. 

 Mouth less oblique, the lower jaw included, the maxillary extending 

 behind eye, 2^ in head ; snout, 4^ ; interorbital width, 2| ; eye, 7^. 



Teeth minute, equal in a single series in both jaws. Vomer and 

 palatines toothless. Gill-rakers long, broad at base, compressed, weak, 

 about fifteen below angle. 



Posterior line of occiput slightly nearer front of dorsal than end of 

 snout ; length of fin equaling its distance from base of caudal. Spines 

 slender, pungent, weak. Origin of anal under the fourth from the last 

 ray of dorsal, the length of its base scarcely exceeding length of snout. 

 Anal spines rather strong, the two intimately soldered together, their 

 outlines distinct. 



D. Ill, 13; A. II, 9. 



Pectorals long, 1^ in head. Ventrals I, 7 or I, 8. 



The scales are entirely lost; they were, however, large and must 

 have been about twenty- three in number, judging from the imj^res- 

 sious on the skin. 



Color: Black anteriorly, brownish-black behind. Mouth, gill-cav- 

 ity, and peritoneum jet-black. Fins all blackish. 



One specimen o inches long, from Station 3075, in 859 fathoms. 



16. Serranus aequidens sp. nov. 



Body slender, the head v^ery long, the caudal peduncle narrow. Tip 

 of lower jaw but little projecting; mouth large, the maxillary reaching 

 vertical from posterior margin of pupil, 2^ in head. Upper jaw with 

 teeth laterally in a single series, becoming double anteriorly; the outer 

 teeth are larger and spaced but not canine-like; the inner are close set, 

 small, directed inwards ; the median pair of teeth of inner series are 

 larger than the others and directed backwards. Teeth of lower jaw in 

 a single series forming a very narrow patch at symphysis. Teeth in a 

 narrow patch on vomer, the posterior enlarged almost canine-like, di- 

 rected backwards; on palatines in an irregular double series. 



Eye large, as long as snout, 4i in head. Interorbital space flat, its 

 width three-fifths orbit. Preorbital narrow, one-fourth orbit. Angle 

 of preopercle slightly projecting, the vertical margin gently concave; 

 teeth minute and equal on both limbs and at angle. Opercle greatly 

 produced backwards, reaching much beyond inner edge of shoulder- 

 girdle, the margin of preopercle equidistant between front of eye and 

 end of opercular flap. Opercle with a siugle spine, the lower not devel- 

 oped. No spine on shoulder. 



Gill-rakers long and slender, sixteen in number on anterior limb of 

 arch, the longest one-half the diameter of the large eye. 



Dorsal with weak, flexible, low spines, which increase in length the 

 fourth (two sevenths length of head), then decrease to the ninth, which 



