342 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. 4S. 



California at depths of 38 to 93 fathoms. The most southerly station 

 has been 3194, off Port Harford, California, the species having 

 been unknown south of Point Conception. The present collection 

 contains a specimen from station 4343, near the Coronado Islands, 

 south of San Diego. 



In their description of the species, Jordan and Evermann state 

 that there are two opercular spines and that the interorbital space is 

 armed with spinous plates. The opercle is, however, without ridge 

 or spines and the greater part of the interorbital space is unarmed, 

 its posterior portion only receiving an incursion from the postocular 

 patch of scales. The eye is variable, its diameter contained from 2.6 

 to 3.3 times in the length of the head. 



List of stations. 



4343 

 4452 

 4453 

 4554 



Off San Diego. 

 Monterey Bay 



do 



do 



Fathoms. 

 55-155 

 49- 50 

 49- 51 

 60- 80 



ZESTICELUS PROFUNDORUM (Gilbert). 



Known hitherto from four specimens captured by the Albatross 

 north of Unalaska and in the vicinity of Bogoslov Island. A single 

 specimen is in the present collection, taken at station 4547, off 

 Monterey, at a depth of 1,083 fathoms. The Bering Sea specimens 

 were from 399 and 664 fathoms, indicating a very exceptional vertical 

 range. 



The fin-rays agree with the Bogoslov specimen: Dorsal, VI, 10; 

 anal, 8; pectoral, 20; ventral, I, 2. The types from north of Una- 

 laska had longer fins, one of these in the collection of Stanford Uni- 

 versity (No. 3025) having dorsal, VI, 12; anal, 10; pectoral, 20; 

 ventral, I, 2. As will be noted, the ventrals have constantly 2 soft 

 rays, instead of 3, as indicated in all previous descriptions of the 

 species. 



In the California specimen the preopercular spine is almost per- 

 fectly straight and reaches to or nearly to the margin of opercular 

 membrane. In the cotype above mentioned the spine is less curved 

 than is represented in the figure of the type-specimen. 1 The mouth 

 is also slightly smaller in the California specimen, barely passing front 

 of pupil, and the head is shorter, 2.6 in length, without caudal. 



The lateral fine has anteriorly two series of pores, widely separated, 

 the upper series much smaller than the lower and approaching the 

 lower on middle of sides, where it usually disappears. Posteriorly, 

 the lateral line terminates in a large pore at base of caudal. 



i Report U. S. Fish Com., 1896, pi. 27. 



