888 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



jaw not reaching vertical from anterior margin of eye, and equaling post- 

 orbital portion of head ; lower jaw about twice greatest height of body ; 

 mandibular tip nearly 3 in eye. Eye slightly postrnedian, the orbital diam- 

 eter equaling half length of snout. Besides the 3 long teeth, there are on 

 each intermaxillary 8 or 9 of moderate size ; on one side many small inter- 

 mediate teeth are present; the number of teeth in the lower jaw varying 

 from 13 on the one side to 21 on the other. Gill rakers 13, the longest 

 about 2 millimeters ; about the same number on second arch, while on 

 the third there are but 6 or 7 very small ones, and present only in the 

 angles, while in the fourth there is about the same number, very incon- 

 spicuous. Origin of dorsal above middle of opercle, and at a distance 

 from the snout equaling twice length of snout ; anal fin composed of 

 about 100 spines and rays. Owing to the mutilation of the specimen it is 

 impossible to determine how many there are of each, but there are sup- 

 posed to be about 28 rays, normally united by a membrane into a fin. 

 Caudal also imperfect but the middle rays are seen to be about half as 

 long as the remnants of the external rays ; the fin supposed to resemble 

 in shape that of Lepidopus caudatus] pectoral originating under tip of 

 opercular flap, its outline rounded above instead of einarginate, as in 

 Lepidopus caudatus ; its longest ray equaling postorbital part of head ; 

 ventrals originating at a distance from the snout equaling that of base of 

 pectorals from same point, rudimentary, and represented by minute scutes, 

 the length of which is 3i millimeters, or about half interorbital width. 

 Coscal appendages 8 in the specimen examined ; some, however, may have 

 been lost, the abdominal viscera having been partly digested by the hali- 

 but in the stomach of which it was found. Color uniform silvery, with 

 traces of dark color upon head and tail. Length 35 inches. One speci- 

 men taken from the stomach of a halibut caught on the western edge of 

 the Grand Bank of Newfoundland in 80 fathoms. (Goode & Bean.) 

 (atlanticus, Atlantic.) 



Benthodesmm elongatus, GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., iv, 1881, 380-3; not of CLARKE, the 



original elongatus being from New Zealand; JOEDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 910, 1883. 

 Benthodesmus allanticus, GOODE & BEAN, Oceanic Ichth., 205, 1895, Grand Bank. 



Family CXXI. TRICHIUKHXaE. 

 (THE CUTLASS FISHES.) 



Body extremely elongate, band-shaped, naked, tapering to a point, the 

 ventral fins imperfect or wanting and the spinous and soft parts of the 

 dorsal fin not differentiated. Mouth wide, the jaws armed with strong 

 unequal teeth. Premaxillaries not protractile. PseudobranchisB present. 

 Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth ; gill membranes separate, frep from the 

 isthmus ; lateral line present ; dorsal fin very long, low, usually continu- 

 ous, the rays all similar. Caudal fin absent ; anal fin very long and low, 

 scarcely rising above the surface of the skin. Ventrals thoracic, rudi- 

 mentary (Eupleurogrammus) or wanting. Vertebrae in greatly increased 

 number, about 160. Air bladder present. Pyloric cosca numerous. 

 Genera 2, species about 6. Surface fishes of the tropical seas. Very 



