ARGYROPELECUS CANINUS. 



235 



Sides silvery, with black edgings to the lanterns, snout white, tipped with 

 black; fins whitish; back and base of caudal blackish; iris black. On dis- 

 placement of the silvery epiderm black or brown substrata appear. 



Argyropelecus caninus sp. n. 



D. YII. + 10 ; A. 8 + 6 ; V. 7 ; P. 10. 



The form and proportions are somewhat like those of A. l//clinus, Plate J, 

 fig. 1 ; the depth of the body is more than two thirds of the total length, 

 and the length of the body cavity is more than half the length from the 

 snout to the end of the caudal ; the depth of the caudal section at the origin 

 of the anal fin is more than half the depth of the body. Head much com- 

 pressed, like the body in this respect, one fourth of the total length. Snout 

 short, with a sharp point on the mandibular symphysis. Mouth large ; 

 maxillary nearly as long as the head. Teeth acicular, hooked, unequal, in 

 single series; the fifth or the sixtli on the lower jaw much the largest; six 

 or eight of the hindmost on the maxillary hooking forward, all the others 

 hooking backward. The blade in front of the dorsal is serrated on its 

 upper edge ; the abdominal keel al.-^o has serrations on its edge. The posi- 

 tion of the lanterns is about as in A. li/chmis : there are six branchiostegal, 

 six pectoral, eleven abdominal, four ventral, six anal, and four subcaudal, 

 besides one in front of the eye, another behind the orbit, two behind the 

 maxillary, and one on the middle of tlie forehead. The ridges on the nape 

 have serrated edges. There is a small spine above each shoulder on the 

 nape, one below each angular, and a larger one below each preopercle. The 



