586 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Family LXXVIII. ASTRONESTHID^E. 



Stomatoid fishes, with adipose dorsal present, and with scaleless body. 

 Dorsal fin inserted behind vent, but in front of anal. A single genus, 

 with few species; fishes of the deep sea. ( Astronesthida), Gill, in Goode 

 & Bean, Oceanic Ichthyology, 105, 1895.) 



278. ASTRONESTHES, Richardson. 



Astronesthes, KICHARDSON, Tchtii. Voy. Sulph., 97, 1845, (niger). 

 Phsenodon, LOWE, Proc. ZoiU. Soc. Lond., 1850, 250, (ringens). 



Body rather elongate, compressed, scaleless. Head compressed, the 

 snout of moderate length, the mouth wide, lower jaw prominent. Teeth 

 pointed, unequal; upper jaw with 4 long, curved canines; front of lower 

 with 2 ; maxillary teeth fine, subequal ; palatines with a single series of 

 small, pointed teeth, similar to those on tongue. Eye moderate, not longer 

 than snout. Throat with a long fleshy barbel. Dorsal fin rather long, 

 inserted entirely in front of anal, behind ventrals ; adipose fin present ; 

 caudal forked ; paired fins long. Gill rakers minute. No pseudobranchiae. 

 No air bladder. Sides and belly with very many small luminous spots ; 

 a small luminous patch below eye. Small fishes of the deep seas ; remark- 

 able for their strong teeth, the lower jaw much stronger than in Mala- 

 costeus; 4 species known, (uarpov, star (starfish); koBiu, to eat.) 

 . Barbel not much longer than head; last ray of dorsal considerably behind vent, nearly 



over first ray of anal. 



6. D. 17; A. 14. NIGER, 879. 



bb. D. 17; A. 17. GEMMIFER, 880. 



1 aa. Barbel much longer than head; last ray of dorsal in advance of vent, and much before 



first ray of anal. RICHARDSONI, 881. 



879. ASTRONESTHES NIGER, Richardson. 



Head 4* ; depth 5| ; eye 4|. D. 17 ; A. 14 ; V. 30 + 15 = 45. Body rather 

 stout, deepest at the nape. Barbel a little longer than head. Dorsal 

 beginning just behind base of ventrals, its last ray considerably behind 

 vent and nearly over first of anal; pectoral not reaching nearly to ven- 

 trals. Jaws subequal. Eye large, well forward, almost as long as snout, 

 the luminous spot below it very small. Color black, with 22 photophores 

 between chin and ven.tral. Deep waters of all seas. One specimen taken 

 in the open sea off our coast.* (niger, black.) 



Astronesthes nigra, RICHARDSON, Ichth. Voy. Sulphur, 97, 1845, Atlantic; GIJNTHER, Cat., v, 425, 

 1864; LUTKEN, Spolia Atlantica, ir, 537, 1892; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 287, 1883. 



Stomias fieldii, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., xvm, 378, 1846, Mid-Atlantic. 

 (Type, No. 34538. Coll. Capt. Field.) 



Phisnodon ringens, LOWE, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1850, 251, Madeira. 



Astronesthes barbatm, KNER, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 1860, xxxix, 543, Coast of Brazil. 



880. ASTRONESTHES GEMMIFER, Goode & Bean. 



Head 4| ; depth 5J ; eye 4. D. 17 ; A. 17 ; V. 7 ; P. 9. Barbel about 

 equal in length to the head. Origin of dorsal fin a little nearer tip of 



*This specius is represented in the national collection by only a single specimen (No. 34538, TJ. 

 S. National Museum), the type of Ghauliodus fieldii, Cuvier & Valenciennes, obtained by Captain 

 Field, in May, 1819, on a voyage from Mogador to New York, probably at the surface. This 

 specimen passed from the hands of Dr. Mitchill to those of Mr. J. Carson Brevoort, then to Mr. 

 E. G. Blackford, by whom it was presented to the National Museum. (Goode & Bean.) 



