358 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.48. 



LIPARISCUS, new genus {Lijparididae) . 



Allied to Paraliparis and Nectoliparis, agreeing in habit with the 

 former, and with the latter in having but 5 branchiostegal rays, 

 while all other genera and species in this group have 6. 



No trace of a ventral disk. Vent posterior in position, lying in 

 the area between the lower pectoral lobes. Pectoral fin greatly 

 reduced, but the two lobes connected, not separate and distinct as 

 in Nectoliparis. Teeth simple, in narrow bands. Branchiostegals 5. 

 Gill-slit narrow, confined to the suprapectoral region. 



Type of the genus. — Lipariscus nanus, new species. 



LIPARISCUS NANUS, new species. 

 Plate 19, fig. 15. 



Type-specimen. — Cat. No. 75817, U.S.N.M., 47 mm. long, from 

 station 4461, Monterey Bay, 285 to 357 fathoms. 



Length of head twenty hundredths of total length to base of caudal; 

 length of snout, 5; width of interorbital, 8; diameter of eye, 6; width 

 of head, 13; length of maxillary, 8; length of gill-slit 2.5; pectoral 

 greatly reduced, enveloped in a thick membrane, its upper ray on a 

 level with lower margin of pupil. The lower lobe consists of only 2 

 rays closely apposed and but slightly lengthened. The total number 

 of pectoral rays is 12 or 13, the upper lobe also short, the intermediate 

 rays in the notch 2 or 3 in number, more widely spaced than the other 

 rays. Lower pectoral rays separated by a wide interval. 



Body deepest at front of dorsal, the occiput not gibbous. Inter- 

 orbital space narrow, equaling the diameter of the eye. Snout short, 

 very bluntly rounded, the mouth inferior, horizontal, the maxillary 

 reaching a vertical from hinder edge of pupil. Nostril without tube. 



Caudal narrow, with 4 rays, its basal fourth joined to dorsal and 

 anal. Gill-slit very short, confined to area above base of pectoral; a 

 narrow triangular opercular flap. Vent posterior in position, under 

 the middle of the base of the pectoral. Snout and sides of body 

 dusky; lining membranes of mouth, gill cavity and abdominal cavity 

 jet black, the opercular region and the abdomen thus appearing 

 black. 



One paratype from the type-locality, and three others from station 

 4468, Monterey Bay, 32 to 309 fathoms. 



NECTOLIPARIS PELAGICUS Gilbert and Burke. 



A very widely distributed deep-pelagic form, extending from the 

 coast of southern California throughout the Bering Sea and south to 

 the shores of Hokkaido, Japan. It has been frequently captured in 

 Bering Sea in open intermediate nets dragged at 300 fathoms. In 

 the present collection, several specimens are included, which appar- 

 ently entered the open trawl on its way to the surface. 



