Dark brown to black. 



MALTIIOPSIS SPAKSA. 101 



Temperature. Bottom. 



39° F. Gil. M. 



38.5° F. Rky. 



Malthopsis sparsa sp. n. 

 Plate XVIII. 



Br. r. 6 ; D. 5-6 ; A. 4 ; V. 5; P. 13 ; C. 9. 



If this form is compared with Dihranchus atlanticus Pet. it will not 

 only be seen that there is a certain degree of resemblance, but that the 

 present species is narrower and less angular on the head, and has much 

 finer tubercles and a much smaller subopercular process. Body and head 

 forming together a much depressed subcircular disk about as wide as 

 long ; tail distinct, narrow, rounded, tapering from the vent. Greatest 

 depth of the head nearly one third of its greatest width, top moderately 

 prominent above the balance of the disk but not angular except around 

 the edge at the top of the snout ; length of the head to the gill open- 

 ings less than one length of the orbit shorter than the distance from 

 the snout to the vent. Snout short, lower jaws longer, top slightly con- 

 cave with erect tubercles around the edge, deeply excavated below the 

 rostrum for the club-shaped, trilobed, protractile illicium. The movement 

 of this organ as a whole is forward and back, but the flesliy esca can 

 be thrown forward at the top somewhat like the tongue of a frog. The 

 lateral lobes of the esca are rounded ; the median lobe is slightly notched, 

 the notch being due in part' to a folding inward of the edges of the 

 bulb. Nasal sacs anterior, prominent, near the illicium, directly forward 

 of the eyes ; nostrils small, close together, posterior subcrescentic, anterior 

 smaller with a short bell-shaped tube. A prominent tubercle above each 

 angle of the mouth. Mouth medium, anteriorly somewhat turned upward ; 

 maxillary about as long as the orbit. Tongue broad, rounded, with a 

 broad villiform band of teeth. Teeth in villiform bands on jaws and 

 tongue, and in three short broad closely placed patches on the vomer 

 and palatines. Eyes medium ; orbits converging forward, in length one 

 sixth of the width of the disk, twice the length of the snout, one and 

 one half times the width of the interorbital space, covered with finer 

 scales than those of the surrounding parts of the head. Gills two, none 



