imens. Similar tiny spots are also occasionally encountered in the 

 vicinity of the anal photophores. 



General remarks. The fossil remains of the genus Polyipnus have 

 not been previously reported. The only exception is a lorief mention 

 (Kalabis, 1948) concerning the discovery, within the manilite shales of 

 Moravia, of one representative of the Sternoptychidae. According to 

 Kalabis, this may either represent the genus Polyipnus or belong to 

 some new genus. In view of the lack of comparable fossil material of 

 the genus Polyipnus, the present writer had to base her studies on 

 zoological literature which deals but incompletely with the problems 

 of skeletal structure (Gregory, 1933, 1957), (Schultz 1938), (Fowler, 

 1934). 



As has already been stated, in the structure of the gill covers, the 

 Sobniow remains resemble the genus Sternoptyx Harm., but differ 

 from it in the absence of a broad and high spine before the dorsal fin, 

 and the position of the fins. According to Brauer (1906), independently 

 from body shape variations the ventral fins and the beginning of the 

 caudal fin in this genus always occur before the first rays of the dorsal 

 fin. Its only fossil species, Sternoptyx prisca Pauca from the Oligocene 

 of Rumania, which is represented by 5 specimens (Pauca, 1931, 1933), 

 also differs in structure from the Sobniow remains. 



On the other hand, a strong resemblance has been noted by the 

 writer to the genus Argyropelecus Cocco as regards the structure of 

 the humeral gridle; the specimens she examined differ, however, in the 

 structure of the dorsal fin which — in Brauer's (1906) opinion — in- 

 variably begins before the anal fin, while its anterior portion, consisting 



Table 4 

 Comparison of characters of P. fraseri Fowler and P. sohnioviensis n. sp. 



Character 



Polyipnus fraseri 

 Fowler 



Polyipnus sohnio- 

 viensis n. sp. 



Occipital spines 



very strong * 



missing 



Preoperculum 



with two spines 



without spines 



Number of rays in anal fin 



11 



18—20 



Number of photophores of the 

 anal group 



4 



6—8 



Photophores of the abdominal 

 group 



begin beyond base 

 of pectoral fins 



begin before base of 

 pectoral fins 



* on this character, Fowler (1934) referred P. fraseri to a new subgenus 

 Acanthopolyipnus; this opinion, however, did not meet with general approval 

 and was criticized by Parr (1937). 



20 



