Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2101 



2437. METHOTREMUS MUTICUS, Gilbert. 



D. VII, 11 ; A. 10; P. 23. Depth 2 to 2 in length ; head 2 to 2|. Eye 

 very large, 2 to 2 in head, equaling interorbital width. In Eumicro- 

 IrriHiis orbis of equal size, the length of the slit slightly less than its 

 distance from upper base of pectorals. Diameter of ventral disk 

 length of head, equal to width of mouth. No barbels or filaments. 

 Origin of spiuous dorsal slightly in advance of gill slit, distance 

 between dorsals equaling half diameter of eye; origin of anal under 

 that of second dorsal; no notch between upper and lower portions of 

 pectoral fin, the lower rays thickened but not lengthened, the length of 

 upper ray equaling that of snout and eye. Vent separated from disk by 

 slightly more than its distance from front of anal. Color in spirits, 

 brownish above, white below, the upper parts finely freckled with small 

 black specks. Length about 1^ inches. Aleutian Islands. This species 

 closely resembles in form, tin rays, and general appearance Eumicrotremus 

 orlris, but differs, in addition to the generic characters already stated, in 

 the much larger eye, the lower spinous dorsal, and the extreme reduction 

 of the posterior nasal tube. In young examples of E. orbis, the posterior 

 nasal tube is much longer than the anterior, and equals the diameter of 

 eye. In L. muUcus. both tubes are short, and the posterior is little 

 more than an elevated rim to the nasal opening. The naked specimens 

 from the Atlantic, reported on by Dr. Giinther under the name Cycloptremus 

 spinosus, are probably referable to Lcthotrcmus. (Gilbert.) (muticus, 

 unarmed.) 



Lethotremus muticits, GILBERT, Eept. U. S. Fish Comm. 1893 (1896), 449, pi. 31, Unimak 

 Pass, Alaska, at Albatross Stations 3223 and 3258, in 56 and 70 fathoms. 



2438. LETHOTREMUS VDfOLEIVTTJS, Jordan & Starks. 



Head 2J in length ; depth 2. D. V, 7 ; A. 6 ; eye 3 in head ; snout nearly 

 4 ; maxillary 2| ; interorbitrJ 2 ; ventral disk 1 ; heigbt of spinous dorsal 

 2$ ; length of pectoral 2f. Body short and thick, broadest at head, deepest 

 in front of first dorsal spine, abruptly compressed at vent; back some- 

 what elevated. Mouth terminal, oblique, the jaws about equal; snout 

 very blunt ; maxillary reaching slightly past the vertical from front of eye; 

 teeth in narrow villiform bands; teeth on vomer (the specimen is so small, 

 we can not be sure of the palatine teeth) ; eye large, set high in the head, 

 its diameter greater than the length of the snout; interorbital wide and 

 flat, the diameter contained 1 times in the width; gill opening oblique, 

 about as wide as eye and on a level with eye; disk longer than broad, 

 its length about equal to distance from gill opening to anterior edge of 

 eye. Skin thick; head and body nearly naked, a few spines scattered 

 over it; spinous dorsal with 3 or 4 small spines, a minute simple spine in 

 front of eye and 2 or 3 above it; 4 multifid spines following the curve 

 of back, under spinous dorsal, and 1 under the front of second dorsal, 2 

 similar spines on each side of nape, just above opercles ; 2 on edge of oper- 

 cle and 3 on edge of preopercle ; an irregular row of 6 running from above 

 base of pectoral to front of anal fin, and a couple of small ones behind gill 



