356 Mr. A. Alcock on Indian Bathyhial Fishes. 



Family Scopelidae. 

 Harpodon, Le Suer. 



16. Harpodon squamosus, Alcock. 



H((rj)o(lon sqiiamosus, Alcock, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., Aug. 1891, 

 p. 127. 



'IMiis interesting species seems characteristic of the Bay of 

 Bengal, between 200 and 300 fathoms. 



Bathypterois, Giinther. 



17. Bathijpterois insuIaruiUj sp. n. 



B. 13-14. D. 12-13. A. 10. P. 2/12-13. V. 9. 

 L. lat. 48-51. L. tr. 13. 



Body elongate, its height a little more than halt" the length 

 of the head, which is about one fourth of the total without 

 the caudal. The snout, which has the typical duck-bill shape, 

 is in length a little more than one third the length of the 

 head. The very small eyes are not quite a snout- length 

 apart. There is nothing peculiar about the mouth, but there 

 are no teeth on the vomer. The branchial structures are 

 identical with those of other species of the genus. The body 

 and the head, except the jaws and snout, are covered with 

 thin deciduous cycloid scales. 



The dorsal fin begins half a snout-length behind the base 

 of the ventrals, and the anal immediately behind the vertical 

 through the last dorsal ray ; there is a small adipose " fin " 

 nearly midway between the dorsal and the base of the caudal. 

 The two uppermost pectoral rays are intimately coherent in 

 their basal half and reach at least as far as the adipose 

 dorsal ; the other pectoral rays, which are slender and rigid, 

 reach at least as far as the vent. The ventral fins are very 

 large, their two outermost rays, which are very stout and 

 stiff, reach, when laid back, within a snout's length of the 

 base of the caudal, their tips being filiform. The two or 

 three lowermost rays of the forked caudal are prolonged, their 

 length being at least one third that of the rest of the body. 



Colour black ; tins hyaline grey. 



Length 5^ inches. 



Two adult females with gravid ovaries from Station 121, 

 1140 fathoms. 



