2130 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



Body more or less elongate, semitransparent, covered with thin, lax 

 skin ; mouth terminal ; teeth simple in the adult, hooked ; ventral disk very 

 small, situated far forward, under front of eye, sometimes reduced to a 

 mere point; vent a little behind it, far in front of anal fin; pectoral fin 

 broad, notched, the lower lobe well developed. Vertebra and fin rays 

 numerous ; nostrils with or without tube. Species of rather large size, 

 found in deep or cold waters. These form a transition from Actinochir to 

 the Amitrince, in which group the ventral disk is wholly lost. 



Concerning Careproctus, Mr. Garman has the following remarks : 



" This genus and Liparis are brought very close together by Careproctus 

 liparis major. The simple form of tooth in the one case and the tricuspid 

 form in the other were formerly considered sufficiently distinctive for sep- 

 arating these genera. Llitken, 1887, pointed oufc that the young of the 

 mentioned species has the tricuspid teeth of Liparis, and that with age it 

 acquires the simple teeth of Careproctus. It is possible that a similar 

 change takes place in the other species we have brought together in the 

 latter. Indeed, assuming derivation from species of Liparis of the shoal 

 waters, it is just what we should expect in all these Careproctiof the deep sea. 



"Besides the dentition, other features may be selected that in compari- 

 sons may serve to distinguish this genus from the preceding : The head 

 is higher at the back; the body is deeper in front of the dorsal fin; the 

 caudal region is longer, more slender and tapering; the vertebra are more 

 numerous; the dorsal and anal fins have more rays, and are completely 

 fused with the caudal; the disk is reduced in size; the suborbital process 

 is Jess developed, and apparently the intestine is shorter. Among these 

 differences there is none that may not be a consequence of the modifying 

 influences of great depths upon species of Liparis such as now exist along 

 the coasts. " (napd, head; TtpooKroZ, anus.) 



CAREMITRA (apa, head; /uu'rpa, stomacher): 



a. Body short and deep, with blunt head, the inferior month below the prominent snout ; 

 disk nearly as long as eye ; pectoral rays 33. SIMUS, 2460. 



aa. Body more or less elongate. 



&. Body not excessively attenuate, its median depth much more than length of 



eye. 



CAREPROCTUS : 



c. Pectoral fin distinctly notched, its middle rays shorter than upper or lower. 

 d. Lower pectoral rays extremely long, reaching front of anal; disk 

 moderate, ahout as large as eye. COLLETTI, 2461. 



dd. Lower pectoral rays not reaching anal. 



e. Mouth horizontal or moderately oblique, not nearly vertical. 

 /. Disk nearly or quite as long as eye, not excessively reduced. 

 g. Disk ahout longer than eye ; anterior nostril with a 

 tube ; gill slit reduced ; mouth oblique ; D. 53 ; P. 34. 



PHASMA, 2462. 



gg. Disk not larger than eye, which is about 4 in head ; 



anterior nostril (so far as known) without tube. 

 h. Depth 4 in length ; mouth large ; D. 52 ; A. 47. 



SPECTRUM, 2463. 

 1th. Depth 5 to 6. 



i. Pectoral rays 32 ; D. 54 ; A. 45. 



REINHARDI, 2464. 



M. Pectoral rays 38 ; D. about 48 ; A. about 48. 



BANULA. 2465. 



