'°i^:r"'] PKOCKEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 125 



by the snout, its width 2f to 3 in that of head, lower jaw usually not 

 included; gape of mouth oblique, almost wholly anterior. Teeth in 

 wide cardiform bauds iu the jaws, none of them eularged. Palate 

 toothless. luterorbital width slightly greater thau length of suout, 5 

 in width of head. Eye If iu interorbital width. 



Rostral tentacle short, with an expanded threelobed tip. Front of 

 dorsal midway between base of caudal and occiput. Caudal loug, 

 rounded, the lower ravs more shortened thau the upi)er, the longest 

 nearly half width of head. Anal rays high, closely bound together, the 

 fin slender, shaped like the intromittent organ of (iamhusia; the 

 length of its base equals two-thirds diameter of orbit; its longest ray 

 reaches base of caudal. Pectorals loug, the posterior ray rapidly 

 shortened, the longest one-half width of head. 



Head and body everywhere with broadly conical, tubercular 

 plates, varying in size, marked with strong lines, radiating from the 

 center. The apex is sometimes bluut, more often provided with a 

 slender spine, sometimes bifid or trifid; on the tail these spines become 

 longer and are directed backwards. The plates along edge of disk are 

 not compressed uor specially modified. 



A deep groove-like channel just behind mandible and following- 

 curve of latter, becoming continuous with another deeper channel 

 running just below edge of disk to near base of pectorals. A third 

 groove runs backwards from nostrils, uniting with the others. These 

 grooves are spanned at intervals by pairs of tieshy tentacles with 

 fringed tips, which spring from the edges of the grooves aud meet 

 across them. At the bottom of the grooves under each pair of tenta 

 cles is a small tieshy tubercle. Fin rays, at least at base, with series of 

 small curved prickles. D. G; A. 4; C. 9; V. 4; P. 12 or 13. 



Color: Uniform dusk^', the tail sometimes lighter: fins blackish, 

 more or less edged with white. Oue specimen with the body aud tail 

 uniformly light. 



Numerous specimens, the largest 4i inches loug from Station 2992, iu 

 460 fathoms. 



92. Melichthys bispiuosus sp. uov. 



Agreeing perfectly with current descriptions of M. picem auil M. 

 ringens, but having only two dorsal spines in all of our numerous si)eci- 

 mens. 



Lower jaw but little protruding in open mouth. Eight teeth iu each 

 jaw, the two anterior of which are broad truncate incisors without 

 notch. The three lateral teeth in lower jaw are conspicuously uotclied, 

 the anterior angle projecting; in the upper jaw the posterior tooth is 

 truncate, entire, and the other two lateral teeth but slightly notched. 

 Teeth in lower jaw with a strong horizontal backward process. 



Head 3f iu length ; dei)th 2. Eye 5 iu snout. Length of anteorbital 

 groove two-thirds eye. Width of gill slit one-third snout. 



