544 PROF. W. B. BENHAM AND MR. W. J. DUNBAR ON [May 15, 



3. On the Skull o£ a Young Specimen of the Ribbon-fish, 

 Regalecus. By W. B. Benham, D.Sc, M.A., F.Z.S., 

 Professor o£ Biology in the University of Otago, and 

 W. J. Dunbar. 



[Received April 2, 1906.] 



(Plates XXXVIII. & XXXIX.*) 



I. Introduction. 



Whether the small Ribbon-fish described by me (1) as Begalecus 

 parheri be a distinct species, or, as seems probable, merely a young 

 stage of the Great Ribbon-fish, R. glesne, it seemed desirable to 

 ha,ve the skull described and figured for comparison with the 

 detailed account of the latter fish published by Professor Parker 

 in the ' Transactions ' of the Society f. 



The correct name for the Ribbon-fishes of the New Zealand as 

 of other coasts is somewhat doubtful. Specimens have been 

 described and named by Von Haast (2) as B. pacijicus, and by 

 Parker (3 & 4) as E. argenteus, while Forbes (5) inclined to the 

 opinion that the specimen which came into his hands was identical 

 with R. grillii of Lindroth. This matter of the synonymy was 

 treated at some length by Paiker, and after a comparison of the 

 measurements and of other external features given by various 

 naturalists for difierent specimens studied here and in the l^orthern 

 hemisphere he came to the conclusion (3) that the specimens 

 obtained in the neighbourhood of Dunedin belonged to a new 

 species, R. m^genteus : and under this title he described the skeleton 

 in the Society's 'Transactions' (9), but in an "Addendum" to his 

 second article (4) (inserted at the commencement of the volume, 

 immediately following the titlepage) he expressed a doubt as 

 to whether, after all, he was justified in this step. He wrote : 

 " Everything seems to lead to the conclusion that most of the 

 siipposed species of Regalecus are identical, and that the more recent 

 specific names (including argenteus) will have to give way probably 

 in favour of Ascanius' original name glesne." 



To the same effect wi'ote Goode & Bean in 1895 in describing 

 the Ribbon-fishes of the North Atlantic (6). On p. 481 of 

 ' Oceanic Ichthyology ' they write : — " It is not certain that there 

 is more than one species of Regalecus, although various names 

 have been suggested in connection with the comparatively few 

 individuals which, during the past century and a half, have been 

 captured in the North Atlantic." Consequently, they register 

 these fishes under the name R. glesne. 



If this be the case, we have an interesting instance of a practically 

 cosmopolitan deep-water fish. 



* For explanation of tlie Plates, see p. 556. 



f Foi- this purpose I handed the skull to my pupil W. J. Dunbar, who to my great 

 regret was drftwned just after the paper was completed in MS. I have retained his 

 name as co-author, as he contributed the description and figures of this skull, and 

 the notes comparing ft with Parker's account. — W. B. Benham. 



