PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



issued l^^lVvA. v)^^^ ^V ^^ 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 

 Vol.105 Washington: 1955 No. 3356 



POPULATIONS OF THE BERYCOID FISH FAMILY 

 POLYMIXIIDAE 



By Ernest A. Lachner 



The contributions in this study are the presentation of data mainly 

 from heretofore unreported collections warranting the recognition of 

 thi'ee species of Polymixia, new evidence establishing two species in 

 Atlantic waters, and great extensions of the geogi^aphic distributions 

 of all forms. 



This family, with a single genus, has had seven nommal forms re- 

 ferred to it. Nineteenth century interest in exploration and natural 

 history accounted for the almost simultaneous descriptions of two 

 species from each of two different geographical areas, Polymixia nohilis 

 Lowe (1836) from Aladeira and Nemohrama webbii Valenciennes (1843) 

 from a contiguous area, the Canary Islands, and P. lowei Giinther 

 (1859) and Dinemus venustus Poey (1860) from Cuba. There is dis- 

 agreement in the literature on the exact dates of publication of the 

 descriptions of P. nohilis and N. webbii. Some authors have given 

 1838 for the former. Valencienne's "Icththyologie," in Baker-Webb 

 and Berthelot, "Histoire Naturelle des lies Canaries," volume 2, part 

 2, has been listed under several dates and more generally by some as 

 1836-44. There is no question of priority, for Valenciennes mentions 

 nohilis in his study. I follow Neave (1940) for my dates of these 

 references. 



338380—65 1 189 



