56 DEEP SEA FISHES. 



comparisons it was found that not so many of the species from the western 

 Pacific were identical with others in the Mediterranean and the eastern 

 Atlantic as has been supposed, and this has led to doubts of a number of 

 which only descriptions are available with which to compare. In general 

 it may be said that the affinities of the species in the collection, from the 

 region about the Galapagos, are closer to those of the western Atlantic than 

 to those of the western Pacific. In case of Caulolepis the species from the 

 eastern Pacific is so nearly allied to that from the western Atlantic that 

 they can hardly be separated by the characters ordinarily used in specific 

 diagnoses. 



Species of Melamphaes and of Stephanoberyx have been taken in the 

 north Atlantic, Lat. 37" N., Lon. 73° W., at a depth of 2949 fathoms, the 

 deepest as yet reported for the group. Species of Melamphaes have also 

 been taken at 1998 fathoms off the Cape Verde Isles, at 2232 fathoms off 

 the Galapagos, at 1375 fathoms in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, 

 and at 1805 fathoms in the Bay of Bengal. Malacosarcus was secured at a 

 depth of 2350 fathoms near the Low Archipelago in the Pacific. When 

 properly completed a list of the species of this group belonging to a depth 

 of 150 fathoms or more will no doubt include nearly or quite all of the 

 family ; at present a considerable number have no definite depths assigned 

 to them. 



BERYCID^. 



Hoplostethus pacificus sp. n. 



Plate A. fig.l; Plate X. ; Plate XL fig. 1; Plate LXXL fig. 4, Lat. Syst. 



Br. r. 8; D. V, 13-14; A. Ill, 9 ; V. I, 6 ; P. 19 ; Lk 58 ca. scales, 28 

 disks; Vert. 27. 



This species differs little from either Iloplosteihus mediterraneus C. V. or 

 Il.jafonicus Ililg. in general outlines; in many respects it agrees with them 

 very closely, but it may readily be distinguished by less development in the 

 anterior portion of the dorsal fin, by a greater development of the pectorals, 

 and by a larger number of scales in the median series on the abdomen. 

 Form much compressed, tapering rather abruptly backward of the body 

 cavit}', depth five elevenths of the length to the base of the caudal or five 

 fourteenths of the entire leno-th, little more than the lengtli of the head. 



