112 DEEP SEA FISHES. 



Eed in life somewliat brownish on the back, with an oblong yellow 

 (white) edged spot of deep black, covering the second to the sixth rays of 

 tlie first dorsal, in the outer half of the fin. Second dorsal Avith brown spots 

 toward the base on the rays and again toward the extremities, margin light. 

 Pectoral dotted with brown. Caudal plain. Lower surfaces uniform light 

 (red). On some the spots on the second dorsal are faint or obsolete and 

 the back is not so brown. 



Peristedium crustosum sp. n. 



Plate A, fy. 2. 



Br. r. 7 ; D. VIII, 17 ; A. 17-18 ; Y.Q; P. 12 + 2 ; LI. 32-31 ; Ltr. 4. 



This sjjecies resembles P. inmcatwn Glint, somewhat in form, but is 

 possessed of a longer lateral barbel, a longer subopercular spine, wider 

 flanges and greater angles on the preopercular ridge, narrower rostral 

 prolongations, and shorter second dorsal and anal. As in other species 

 the body is massive forward and slender in the entire jiostabdominal 

 section. Head narrower forward, low on the snout, high and abruptly 

 ^irominent in the orbital region, nearly four times as wide across the 

 opercular ridges as across the ci'own, depth half of the length or three 

 fifths of the width. Snout broad and low, width at the front of the 

 orbits three times, and that at the bases of the rostral prolongations 

 twice the width of the interorbital space, length half of that of the head ; 

 either the length of the rostral processes or their distance apart equals 

 the width of the interorbital space. Each rostral process is narrower 

 toward its outer end, has four sensory membranes (lat. syst.) toward 

 the outer edges of the lower sides, is denticulate on the edges, and has 

 three or four stronger denticles in front of the end. Nostrils small, 

 subtubular, apparently of much less importance in the system than the 

 greatly developed sensory membranes in the openings of the lateral system 

 or than the barbels of the chin. Immediately behind the superior processes 

 of the upper jaws there is a transverse series of four papillae and at each 

 side of the same processes there are two more. Mouth wide ; maxillary not 

 reaching a vertical from the front of the orbit by about one third of the 

 orbital length ; lower jaws sliorter. Chin with numerous barbels, separated 



