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2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 66 



bears short spines, and betv/een each pair of these plates, on the outer 

 surface of the arch, are interposed two similar smaller plates, which 

 do not bear rakers. The rakers are borne only on the posterior third 

 of the horizontal limb of the arch, but the spinous plates are continued 

 farther forwards, and become merged along" the anterior part of the 

 arch in a narrow spinous strip. The other arches are similar to the 

 first, but contain fewer free rakers. The upper pharyngeals are well 

 toothed and work against the spinous plates on the horizontal limbs 

 of the arches. 



First dorsal ray slightly in advance of the middle of the operculum, 

 the front of the orbit midway between the first ray and the tip of the 

 snout. There are 142 rays in all, the posterior the longest. The rays 

 rise from the anterior ends of a series of intemeural bones, which 

 form a sharp ridge along the dorsal profile. 



The vent is beneath the 46th dorsal ray, its distance from the tip 

 of the snout 3^ times the length of the head. Distance from vent to 

 postanal scute f diameter of orbit. Immediately behind the scute 

 begins a series of 88 interhsemals, which form a continuous sharp 

 ridge along the lower profile. The anterior ones bear no rays, but 

 these gradually appear posteriorly, about 40 of the posterior plates 

 bearing evident free rays, which increase in length posteriorly. 



The pectorals contain 12 rays, the lower distinctly the longest, 

 equaling the postorbital length of the head. Ventrals mutilated, their 

 base posterior to that of pectoral by f diameter of orbit. Caudal 

 deeply forked, its longest ray equaling the diameter of the orbit. 



Color silvery, becoming posteriorly steel gray, and finally black. 

 Lips black, as are also the inside of the mouth and the gill-cavity, 

 including the gill-arches. Peritoneum also black. 



One specimen, 41I inches long, the property of the Provincial 

 Museum of British Columbia. 



Benthodesmus elongatus (Clarke) from New Zealand differs 

 notably from this species in the much more elongate form, the depth 

 scarcely exceeding one-fortieth of the length. The third species of 

 the genus, B. tenuis (Guenther) from Japanese waters, has much 

 shorter vertical fins, the dorsal having but 126 rays and the anal but 

 71 rays. The specimen in hand differs in only minor respects from 

 the description of B. atlanticus given by Goode and Bean. The width 

 of the body is slightly greater, 2f in its height ; the snout slightly 

 longer, its length 2^ in the head; the mandibular tip shorter, ^ the 

 orbit ; the eye smaller, 2^ in the snout. And there are four long teeth 

 in the upper jaw, instead of three. The species has been known 

 hitherto from a single specimen. 



