Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2515 



tral is equal to length of head. Color yellowish brown. The type of this 

 species, a specimen 88 mm. long, was taken by the make from Station 

 XCIV ; off Moro Castle, Cuba, at a depth of from 250 to 400 fathoms. A 

 collateral type specimen (No. 29057) was obtained by the Fish Hawk from 

 Station 1043 in Lat. 38 39' N., Long. 73 11' W., at a depth of 130 fathoms. 

 (Goode & Bean.) West Indies, to lat. 39 N., in Gulf stream, (robustus, 

 stout.) 



Neobythites robustus, GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Mtis. Comp. Zool., x, No. 5, 161, 1883, off Mora 



Castle, Cuba, in from 250 to 400 fathoms. (Type in M. C. Z. Coll. Blake.) 

 Benthocometes robustus, GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichthyology, 327, fig. 288, 1896. 



965. BASSOGIGAS, Gill. 



Bassogigas, GILL MS. in GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichthyology, 328, 189G (gillii). 



Brotulids having the body elongate, compressed, covered with a thick, 

 heavy skin, which upon the head covers and obscures all the angles of thfe 

 skull ; scales small, covering body and head completely ; lateral line indis- 

 tinct for the greater part of the course, but apparently extending at leasi 

 f of the way from the operculum to the tail ; eye moderate ; vertical fina 

 completely united : ventrals a pair of bifid filaments inserted behind the. 

 humeral symphysis aud remote at their bases, short, rather stout; snout 

 without barbels, slightly produced, the lower jaw being barely included 1 , 

 villiform teeth in the jaws, on the vomer and palatines; vomerine patcL 

 V-shaped, but with its arms broadly expanded and thicker at the angle, 

 so that it is almost triangular; operculum with a long, sharp spine; 

 preoperculum unarmed; branchiostegals 8; air bladder present; pseudo> 

 branchiae small. Deep sea. (fidddaor, for (3aQv$, deep; yiy a g, giant.) 



a. Dorsal fin with 83 rays ; anal 67. GILLII, 2887. 



aa. Dorsal fin with 95 rays ; anal 82. STELLIPEROIDES, 2888. 



2887. BASSOGIGAS GILLII, Goode & Bean. 



D. 83; C. 6; A. 67. Head rather short and broad, with snout slightly 

 overlapping the lower jaw; diameter of the eye scarcely ^ of the length 

 of the snout and about -^ that of head ; maxillary extending far behind 

 eye, the vertical from the anterior margin of orbit nearly bisecting it, itf 

 length that of head, and its posterior margin ending in a broad triangu- 

 lar dilation; teeth normal; anterior and posterior nostrils separated by u 

 space greater than diameter of eye; preoperculum with a square, rounded 

 angle; no armature; operculum with a strong, sharp spine above, the tip 

 of which projects slightly beyond the opercular flap ; distance of vent fron* 

 root of pectoral slightly more than length of head, as far removed froir, 

 this point as is the anterior nostril ; scales moderate, covering the eiitirv 

 head ; lateral line somewhat conspicuous, obsolete iu. ita posterior third. 

 Dorsal and anal fins enveloped in thick scaly skin; origin of dorsal h v 

 advance of middle of pectoral; pectorals rounded y broad, and very short; 

 less than $ as long as head and extending about i distance from origin 

 to vertical from vent; ventrals inserted somewhat behind angle of pre 

 operculum, extending to vertical from axil of pectoral, and abou'j \ 

 of distance from origin to vent; each vent/al filament bifid, the iw.ff 



