Farran — Seventh Report on the Fishes of the Irish A tlantic Slope. 117 



Malacocephalus laevis (Lowe). 



Macrurus laevis, Lowe (1843), Giinthev (1887, 1889), Bourne (1890), 

 Holb (1892), Holt and Calderwood (1895), Brauei (1900), Holt and Byrne 

 (1910), Zugmayer (1911), Murray and Hjort (1912). 



Malacocej)haliis laevis, Gunther (1862), LiiLken (1898), Goode and Bean 

 (1895), Koehler (1896), Gilbert and Hubbs (1916), Eonle (1919). 



? Conjphaenoides aequalis, pars, Vaillant (1888). 



(Plate VII, fig. 7.) 



Fig. 8. — Malacocephahis laevis (after HoU and Calderwood). 



Description. — Snout short and rounded, lower profile descending steeply 

 to the mouth, which is sub-terminal and inferior. Gape of the mouth 

 reaching back to beyond the centre of the eye. Head moderately compressed, 

 with vertical sides and without any marked ridges or differentiated scales, 

 completely covered with minute roughened scales. Eye large, longer than 

 high, showing a slight proportional decrease in size with the increase of 

 length of the head. In a specimen with a head-length of 4'2 cms. its length 

 is 36 per cent, that of head, but in a specimen of which the head measures 

 6"3 cms. its length is 33'5 per cent. Inter-orbital space wide, a little less 

 than the longest diameter of the eye, fiat or slightly hollowed by tlie sinking 

 in of the tissues. Dorsal profile of tlie head almost straight, with a very 

 slight curve from the tip of the snout to the commencement of the first 

 dorsal fin. Teeth in the upper jaw in two series, an outer, widely spaced, 

 single row of moderately large teeth pointing downwards, and an iniaei', more 

 irregular row, doubled anteriorly, of smaller teeth pointing inwards. In the 

 lower jaw the teeth are in a single row similar to the outer row of the upper 

 jaw. Barbel slender, a little shorter than the vertical diameter of the eye. 



Body oval, tapering rapidly to the compressed tail. Total length about 

 &\ times or more the length of head. Body scales (PI. VII, fig. 7) very small, 



