2128 Bulletin //, United States National Museum. 



anal, it rises gradually, and attains its greatest extent in the posterior 

 third of its length. Professor Liitken gives the following as the formula: 

 Dorsal 43 to 49; anal 36 to 40; pectoral 32 to 38; caudal 9 to 11. The 

 specimens described here, and from which the numbers placed at the 

 head of this description were taken, were furnished this Museum by him. 

 From his large series he finds a greater range of variation in all cases 

 except that of the caudal, where 12 to 14 rays appear on these examples. 

 Color olivaceous to dark brown, darkest about the head and body. On 

 close examination the skin is seen to be thickly puncticulate with brown, 

 in cases forming cloudings, blotches, or transverse bands on the fins and 

 hinder parts of the body. In life there is no doubt of the presence of 

 tints of lilac, reddish, or yellowish. One of these specimens has 6 bands 

 of brownish on the dorsal, and 4 on the anal. Our largest is 5 inches in 

 length. (Garman.) Coasts of Greenland, east to the White Sea; not 

 seen by us; the description from a specimen in the Museum Comp. Zool., 

 sent by Dr. Liitken. (Eu.) ( M ajor, larger.) 



Cyelopterus liparis major, FABRICIUS, Fauna Gronland., 136, 1780, Greenland; WALBAUM, 

 Artedi Piscium, in, 489, 1792 ; after FABRICIUS ; not a binomial name, major being sim- 

 ply an adjective. 



Liparis tunicata, KROYER, Naturh. Tidsskr., i, 236, 1862; not of REINHARDT. 



Actinochir major, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1864, 193, Greenland. 



Liparis fabricii, LUTKEN, Kara-Haves, Fiske, 146, 1887. 



Liparis major, JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 741, 1883 ; GARMAN, Discoboli, 72, 1892. 



786. BATHYPHASMA, Gilbert. 

 Bathyphasma, GILBERT, Kept. U. S. Fish Comm. 1893 (1896), 447 (ovigerum). 



Teeth long, slender, simple, without basal cusps. Disk large, its sur- 

 face even, with evident lobes or horny papillae under posterior part of the 

 head; the anus not immediately behind it. Gill opening comparatively 

 wide. Caudal long, well developed, not acuminate, containing 12 rays, 

 the dorsal and anal confluent with its basal f; pectoral broad and con- 

 tinuous, as in Liparis , the lower rays exserted. Suborbital process strong. 

 Vertebrae numerous. The typical species has much the shape and general 

 appearance of Liparis agassizii. The character of the simple teeth, which 

 this genus shares with Paraliparis and others, has been independently 

 acquired. (Gilbert.) Skeleton soft, little ossified. Deep -sea Liparids of 

 large size, the dentition unlike that of the other genera, and apparently 

 not acquired by the same line of descent as the simple teeth of Parali- 

 paris, which seems to be a degradation of the form seen in Liparis. 

 (fiativg, deep sea; $a6na, apparition.) 



2459. BATHYPHASMA OVIGERUM, Gilbert. 



Head 3f ; depth 3f ; eye 7. Occipital region greatly elevated, the upper 

 profile of head strongly decurved above the orbits, a line from occiput to 

 end of premaxillary processes forming an angle of 45 degrees with axis 

 of body. In front of tips of premaxillary processes the snout descends 

 almost vertically. Posteriorly the body tapers uniformly and slowly, the 

 width of base of tail equaling diameter of eye. Mouth large, horizontal, 



