^"k^l.u'."J proceedings of the national museum. 117 



gill arch partially joiued to gill cover, as usual. Gill-rakers obsolete. 

 Gill membraues uuited, formiug a wide free fold across istliums poste- 

 riorly. 



Scales without ridges, their exposed surfaces thickly beset with 

 spines, which are usually witliout defluite arrangement. The marginal 

 spines are the longest, thence decreasing in length to the base ; about 

 forty present ou each scale on middle of sides. The scales on head are 

 crowded, the spines are shorter and not directed backwards as on the 

 body. A rosette of short spines on tip of snout. No naked area 

 between ventrals. Mandible and gill membranes partlj' scaled. No 

 considerable naked area in axil of pectorals. 



Dorsal inserted over base of pectorals, the length of its base slightly 

 less than half the interspace between base of dorsals. Second dorsal 

 si)ine rather short and fragile, furnished anteriorly with a series of 

 retrorse spinules. Its length slightly exceeds half that of head, its tip 

 not reaching origin of second dorsal. 



Origin of anal fin well in advance of second dorsal; the vent is 

 unusually far forwards, its distance from base of ventrals two to two 

 and one-halt times in its distance from anal fin. 



Ventrals less widely separated than in M. scaphopsis, the outer ray 

 produced, extending beyond front of anal. Ventrals with ten rays. 

 Pectorals with twenty-two to twenty-four rays. Longest pectoral ray 

 equals half head. 



Color : Very dark brownish, lighter on tail ; lower side of head, 

 breast, and abdominal region, including front of anal and base of pec- 

 torals, blue-black. Roof of mouth, valvular flap of membrane behind 

 bauds of teeth, gill membranes, and upper posterior portion of opercular 

 lining, black; mouth and gill cavity otherwise white. Peritoneum 

 bright silvery, with little black specking. Fins dusky. 



Two specimens, the longest 12 inches in length, from Station 2960, 

 in 207 fathoms. 



83. Macrurus (Lionurus) liolepis sp. uov. 



Head 4| in length; depth 6^. D. II, 10 ; A. 120. L. 10 inches. 



Snout short and high, with well marked lateral ridge, the extreme 

 tip flattened ; the median ethmoidal ridge is prominent, and the supra- 

 ocular ridge is continued forwards on the snout, meeting the lateral 

 ridge in a projecting point. Top of snout wholly naked mesially, a 

 narrow band of scales around each margin and in front. Lower side 

 of head including under side of snout, mandibles, gill membranes, and 

 most of interopercles naked ; a very small patch of scales on poste- 

 rior part of interopercle. 



Mouth moderate, the snout overhanging the premaxillaries for a 

 distance equaling one-half maxillary. Maxillary nearly reaching ver- 

 tical from posterior margin of orbit, 2f in head ; eye 3f ; interorbital 

 space concave, equaling snout, 4^. Barbel three-fifths eye. 



