318 DEEP SEA FISHES. 



Venefica ocella sp. n. 



Plate LXI. fig. B. 



D. 417; A. 324; C. 14. 



The slenderest species of the genus so far as known. In the specimen 

 here described, which may not be entire, the distance from the snout to the 

 vent is nearly one third of the total length, while the depth is but one 

 fifty-sixth. The head is close upon one ninth of the entire length, very 

 slender, and rather wider than deep, especiall}' on the snout. Snout acute, 

 very long, three fifths as long as the head, or from the eye to the tip 

 excluding the proboscis equal to one half of the cephalic length. Proboscis 

 more than three fifths as long as the balance of the snout, slender, pointed, 

 subround in transsection, slightly enlarged near the end, situated about 

 one length of the orbit in advance of the swollen ends of the mandibles. 

 Anterior nostrils tubular, on the superolateral surface of the widened 

 extremity of the rostrum, directed forward and upward ; posterior small, 

 longer than wide, in front of the upper part of the eye and one orbital 

 diameter farther forward. Mouth wide, maxillary situated backward of 

 the eye about one length of the orbit. Teeth in bands, on jaws and vomer, 

 small, subtriangular and somewhat depressed in the cusp, which latter is 

 sharp on edge and apex and hooks back toward the gullet. Below the 

 cusp on many of the teeth there is when seen from front or back constric- 

 tion enough to give the outline the shape of an arrowhead. Behind the 

 anterior group, and separating it from the other vomerines, there is a 

 space in the shape of a horseshoe from which a notch extends outward at 

 each side separating the group from the maxillary bands. Eye small, one 

 thirteenth of the length of the entire snout, or one twenty-first of that of 

 the entire head. Gill openings small, their width and distance apart about 

 equal to the length of tlie orbit. 



Dorsal origin above the gill opening, fin on the specimen described with 

 four hundred and seventeen rays. Anal origin below the ninety-ninth ray 

 of the dorsal, fin with three hundred and twenty-four rays. Caudal narrow, 

 two fifths as long as the rostrum without the proboscis, of fourteen rays, 

 acuminate. The hinder half of the caudal section is less filiform than in 

 V. ientacuhta or V. -proccra, which suggests a possibility of greater length 

 in other specimens. 



