24 Messrs. J. Wood-Mason and A. Alcock on 



Family Pediculati. 



Halieut^a, C. & V. 



8. Halieutcea nigra j sp. n. 



D. 5. A. 4. C. 9. P. 13. V. 1/5. 



Cephalic disk circular, convex anteriorly. Kostral teutacle 

 trilobcd. Interorbital space concave j supraorbital margin 

 •witli long aculeate s])incs. 



Cleft of moutli horizontal, its width being considerably less 

 than half the diameter of the disk ; jaws with villiform teeth. 

 Gills 2\. The dorsal surface of the disk and tail bears scat- 

 tered spines with stellate bases, bifid, trifid, or multifid along 

 the edge of tlie disk and side of the tail, but elsewhere aci- 

 cular ; the abdominal surface is covered with minute granules 

 only. A few small papilla? along the under surface of the 

 lower jaw ; but no otlier cutaneous aj^pendages. Fins in 

 form and disposition as in H. stellata ; the length of the pec- 

 torals is nearly twice that of the ventrals and about equal to 

 that of the caudal, which is one fourth of the total. 



Intestine wide ; no pyloric cgeca ; no air-bladder. 



Colour in life : — Uniform blue-black, with jet-black ver- 

 micular lines. 



One specimen 2*7 inches long, from Station 115, 188 to 

 220 fathoms. 



It is possible, though hardly probable, that tiiis may be an 

 immature form of Halieuima cocci'nea, mihi. The differ- 

 ence in colour appears not to be an objection, because in 

 a species of Feristeihus to be described the young are dusky 

 violet in colour, while a large specimen is bright red. 



DiBRAXCHUS, Peters. 



9. Dihranchus mtsutua, sp. n. (PI. VII. tig. 1.) 



B. 5? D. 6. A. 4. C. 9. P. 12-1.5. V. 1/5. 



Head and anterior part of body forming a huge Hat semi- 

 circular disk as broad as long; tail cylindrical. The broadly 

 expanded snout-bones project far beyond the deep semicircular 

 cavity which lies beneatli them, and this lodges a tlesliy 

 tentacle, which ends in a };air of spherical lobes surmounted 

 by a median bifid filament. A pair of almost coiiHuent nos- 

 trils on each side of the subrostral cavity, Fyes small. 

 Mouth-cleft horizontal, its width is about one third the 

 greatest breadth of tl»e cephalic disk ; tongue large, blotched 



