262 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. [Proc. 3D Ser. 



4. Xeneretmus infraspinatus new species. 

 Plate XXVIL 



Type: 99 mm. long, collected by the U. S. F. C. 

 Steamer Albatross, at Station 3673, off Cape Flattery, 

 Washington, May 14, 1897, at a depth of 77 fathoms. 



Head \\ in length; depth 9I, slightly exceeding the distance from tip of 

 snout to middle of eye. Dorsal VI-6; anal 7; ventrals i, 2; pectorals 15, the 

 lower 5 rays exserted. Lateral line 38. Plates in upper lateral series 39, in 

 dorsal series 37. 



The body is much more robust than in X. pentacanthus, being both wider 

 and deeper. The width of the head equals the distance from tip of snout to 

 hinder fifth of orbit. In X . pentacanthus of the same size, the depth of the 

 body equals the distance from the tip of the snout to the front of the pupil; 

 the width of the head equals the distance from the tip of the snout to the 

 hinder edge of the pupil. 



Eye \ the length of the head, slightly longer than the snout. Snout nar- 

 rower than in X. alascanus, its greatest width very slightly exceeding its 

 length. The rostral plate has 3 short spines on its upper margin directed 

 upward and backward, and i spine at each outer angle directed outward 

 and backward. The nasal spines are strong. The supraocular ridges are 

 strong, bounding the narrow deeply channeled interorbital space, the least 

 width of which equals the diameter of the pupil. The preocular portion of 

 the ridge bears small diverging strise, which end along the edge of the ridge 

 in a series of minute spines. There are a strong postocular spine and 

 2 spines on each of the bluntly elevated occipital ridges. A weak postocular 

 pit is present, and a stronger nuchal pit, both of them much less marked 

 than in X. alascanus. There is the usual series of spinelets on the eyeball. 

 The subocular ridge is not prominent, bearing a minute spine anteriorly and 

 I or 2 posteriorly. Preopercular and opercular spines as usual in the genus. 

 The cheeks below the ridge are covered with 2 or 3 heavy gibbous plates, 

 coalesced and immovable, the centers elevated and bearing minute back- 

 wardly-directed spines. Lower margin of preorbital with 8 or 9 strong 

 spines, the anterior 3 directed forward, the others downward, or downward 

 and backward. These spines are still undeveloped in the cotype, 49 mm. 

 long. 



There are 2 pairs of barbels on the under side of the mandible near the 

 symphysis, arising from margins of pores. Two unequal barbels occur near 

 the tip of each maxilla. The gill membranes are broadly joined to the 

 isthmus — their posterior margin with a narrow but well-defined free fold. 



The plates on the body are essentially as in pentacanthus and alascanus, 

 the spines not so sharp as in the former, but better developed than in the 

 latter. The spines of the lower lateral series do not diminish in size poste- 

 riorly, while in alascanus they become almost or quite obsolete on the caudal 

 peduncle. There is a single pair of plates in front of the base of the ven- 

 trals as in alascanus, the rest of the median series being unpaired. All of 

 the breastplates are heavy, marked with fine striations, without spines 

 except in the very young cotype. The gular and branchial membranes are 

 provided with plates. 



