6 



Halosaurus anguilliforniis Alcock, Descript. Cat. Indian Deep-Sea Fish. 



1899, p. 184 ') 



Halosaurus affi-nis M. Weber, Siboga-Expeditie, Fische 1913, p. 93. 

 Halosaurus affinis Jordan, Tanaka & Snyder, Journ. Coll. Sci. Univ. Tokyo 



XXXIII. 1913, p. 40. 



B. 10;. D. 1012; V. 1.8; P. io 13; A. ca 175; L.I. about 

 30 (between head and vent) ; L. tr. ca 13 14 (between D. and V.). 



Height about 17 to nearly 23; head 7 8, twice in trunk 

 and about equal to its distance from base of ventrals. Head 

 naked, except for a few scales on temples and cheeks. Snout 

 produced, 2'/ 3 2 1 /., in length of head, its praeoral portion 

 scarcely or more than half its length. Major diameter of eye 

 6.5 times or less in length of head, 2.5 3 times in postor- 

 bital part of it, nearly equal to interorbital space. Maxillary 

 nearly reaches frontborder of eye. Origin of dorsal about one 

 eye length behind origin of first outermost ventral ray. On 

 the posterior dorsal part of the tail there may be indication of a 

 very low median fold of skin, provided with slightly elongated 

 scales. Base of ventrals united by membrane. Pectorals much 

 longer than postrostral part of head. Scales extremely deciduous; 

 those of the lateral line much larger than the other scales 

 and provided with a luminous organ ; these organs about 30 in 

 number between the gillopenings and the vent. On the tail the 

 scales of the lateral line are separated from the anal fin by 

 one series of small scales only. The palatine bands of teeth 

 are separated from each other as also from the pterygoid bands 

 by a narrow interspace. Ten gillrakers, the 3 inferior ones 

 short, the others nearly reaching half length of major diameter 

 of eye. Light brown, end of tail somewhat darker as also 

 upper side of head and snout. Otherwise the head is black; 

 ventral side blackish. Length 525 mm. 



Habitat: Timor Sea (383 M. and 618 M. mud)! South 

 of Japan (1033 M.); Arabian Sea off the Laccadive Islands 

 (1829 M.); Gulf of Manar (1234 M.). 



i) Halosatirus (Halosaurlchthys) nigerrimus Alcock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 (7) II. 1898, p. 149 and Descr. Cat. Indian Deep-sea Fishes 1899, p. 188 from 

 459 fathoms off Maldives is probably a juvenile stage of Halosauropsis affinis Gthr. 

 cfr. Max Weber, Siboga-Exped. Fische 1913, p. 93. 



