578 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



anal gathered in about five clusters, each on a black background ; anal 

 fin long. Deep sea. (Named for Achille Valenciennes, the associate of 

 Cuvier, author of the greater part of the " Histoire Naturelle des 

 Poissons," a noble work which is the foundation of modern ichthyology.) 



869. VALENCIENNELLUS TRIPUNCTULATUS (Esmark). 



Head 3f ; depth 3f . D. 9 or 10 ; A. about 24. Luminous spots arranged 

 in and placed on black bodies, 16 pairs in the lower row from pectorals to 

 ventrals, 5 between ventrals and anal ; 5 black areas between vent and 

 caudal about equidistant, and each one with 2 or 4 small luminous spots 

 set close together (the first 3 with 3 each, the fourth with 2, and the last 

 with 4); 1 spot on preopercle, 4 near shoulder girdle, 5 in an upper row 

 behind pectoral ; head and region along lateral line with a row of about 

 16 black pigment spots, some of them star-shaped, with many radiations, 

 these largest posteriorly; large and small ones interspersed. First 

 ray of dorsal slightly before first of anal. Length 2^ inches. Two 

 specimens known, one from Madagascar and one from Denmark Straits, be- 

 tween Greenland-and Iceland. (Liitken.) (tripunctulatus, three-spotted.) 

 Maurolicua tripnnctulatm, ESMARK, Christiania Vid. Selsk., Forh., 488, 1870, Madagascar ; 

 LUTKEN, Spolia Atlantica, Scopelini, 49, 1892. 



Family LXXVII. CHAULIODONTID.E. 



(THE VIPER-FISHES.) 



Body more or less elongate, covered with thin caducous scales, or some- 

 times naked ; photophores present. Mouth large, the teeth irregular in 

 size ; maxillary entering margin of upper jaw. No pseudobranchise ; 

 interopercle rudimentary ; gill openings wide. Dorsal and anal moderate 

 or large. Deep-sea .fishes of rather small size but voracious habits, some 

 7 genera and about 20 species known. 



GONOSTOMIN-flB : 



a. Opercles complete; dorsal inserted behind ventrals; teeth moderate, some of them enlarged 



or canine-like; gill rakers long. 

 b. Dorsal inserted on posterior half of body. 



c. Dorsal inserted opposite anterior rays of anal; air bladder absent. 



d. Scales present; adipose fin present; luminous spots large and conspicuous; no 



vomerine teeth; suborbital covering the cheek. GONOSTOMA, 273. 



dd. Scales very caducous; adipose fin absent; suborbital not covering the cheek. 



e. Dorsal rays about 20; photophores conspicuous. BONAPARTIA, 274. 



ee. Dorsal rays 12 or 13; photophores small; vomerine teeth present. 



CYCLOTHONE, 275. 



bb. Dorsal nearly median in its position, inserted slightly in advance of anal, its posterior 

 rays overlapping anterior rays of anal; body rather elongate; teeth in double rows 

 in premaxillary and mandible; vomer with fangs. YARRELLA, 276. 



CHATTLIODONTINJE : 



aa. Opercles incomplete, the interopercle rudimentary; both jaws with excessively long fang, 

 like canines; dorsal inserted before ventrals; gill rakers none; scales large, thin, 

 and deciduous. CHATJLIODUS, 277. 



273. GONOSTOMA, Rafinesque. 



Gonostoma, RAFINESQXJE, Indice Ittiol. Sicil., 64, 1810, (denudatum). 



Body elongate, somewhat compressed, and probably all species pro- 

 vided with very large, thin, caducous scales; lower parts with series 



