Indian Deep-sea Dredging. 125 



of a snout-lengtli in extent, beojinning almost in the vertical 

 through the base of the pectoral ; its height, which about 

 equals the length of the latter, is six sevenths of the length 

 of the head. The anterior rays of the anal fin are barely 

 two thirds the body-height at their origin, the succeeding 

 rays slightly increase in length to the confluence with the 

 caudal ; the latter is a little more than half a head-length in 

 extent. The ventrals are jugular ; each is in the form of a 

 stiff, slightly flexible, cartilaginous rod, which is formed of 

 two stout rays coherent throughout their whole extent, and 

 not reaching halfway to the vent ; a small detached tubercle 

 posterior to this represents a rudimentary third ray. 



Stomach long, simple ; intestine short and wide ; no pyloric 

 cseca ; no air-bladder. 



Colours in the fresh state: — Mottled dark brown to purple- 

 black ; fins black, except the ventral. 



One specimen, a foot long, from Station 115, 188 to 220 

 fathoms. 



It will be remembered that the family Ateleopodidffi has 

 hitherto been represented by a single species, Ateleopus 

 Japonicus, Schleg., from Japan. It is therefore highly inter- 

 esting to find another and very closely allied species in the 

 Bay of Bengal. 



Family Pleuronectidse. 



Aphoristia, Kaup. 



35. Aphoristia septemstriata, sp. n. 



D. 97. A. 80. C. 12. V. 4. L. lat. 92-94. 

 L. tr. 40. 



The length of the head is not quite one fifth, the height of 

 the body a little more than one fourth, of the total length, 

 without caudal. The length of the snout is about | that of 

 the head. Eyes situated almost in contact and almost 

 between the same verticals in the anterior third of the head, 

 their diameter being about one eighth the length of the head. 

 On the left side is a conspicuous tubular nostril on the upper 

 lip, and a small circular nostril in front of the interorbital 

 space ; on the right side no nostrils are visible. 



Cleft of mouth slightly oblique^ its angle hardly reaches 

 behind the vertical through the anterior border of the lower 

 orbit ; small teeth on the blind side only. 



Gill-openings very narrow ; branchiostegal rays and mem- 

 brane prolonged beyond the opercular edge. 



