no. 2075. FISHES FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA— GILBERT. 379 



LEPIDOPSETTA BILINEATA (Ayres). 



4420 

 4474 



Off San Nicolas Island . 

 Monterey Bay 



Fathoms. 

 33-32 

 43-34 



Not hitherto reported from any point south of Monterey Bay. 

 MONOCERATIAS, new genus (Ceratiidae) . 



Most closely allied to Diceratias (bispinosus) , differing in the much 

 less oblique mouth, in the absence of the second cephalic spine, in 

 the naked skin, and in the presence of a strong outwardly directed 

 spine at the angle of the preopercle. From Oneirodes and Paro- 

 neirodes, it is distinguished by the single dorsal spine. 



Body short and deep, compressed, the abdomen subglobular, the 

 occipital region elevated and strongly convex. Mouth of moderate 

 size and somewhat oblique, with unequal depressible teeth in jaws 

 and on vomer. Gills 2 J, the outer arch without filaments. Dorsal 

 spine single, the basal joint procumbent, not concealed; no caruncles. 

 Skin with few scattered soft papillae of small size. Pectoral multi- 

 radiate. Gill-opening very wide, behind and below base of pectoral. 



Type of the genus. — Monoceratias acantMas, new species. 



MONOCERATIAS ACANTHIAS, new species. 

 Plate 22, fig. 24. 



Type-specimen. — Cat. No. 75825, U.S.N.M., 80 mm. long, from 

 station 4428, off Santa Cruz Island, Cal., depth 764 to 891 fathoms. 



Dorsal, 6; anal, 4; pectoral, 15; caudal, 9. 



Occipital region elevated, its profile strongly convex; interorbital 

 fossa wide and deep ; supraorbital rim widening behind, with an inner 

 and an outer ridge, the intervening surface gently concave; the inner 

 pair of ridges low and parallel, bounding the interorbital fossa, the 

 outer pair higher, strongly divergent, each ending in a strong spine, 

 directed obliquely upwards, outwards, and backwards; anteriorly, 

 where the two ridges join, each rim is abruptly incurved, presenting 

 a notched appearance seen from above. Least interorbital width at 

 the notch three-tenths the distance between the supraorbital spines. 



Mouth little oblique, the lower jaw strongly protruding beyond the 

 upper, ending in an acute symphyseal process. Mandibular teeth 

 depressible, in a single irregular series, longer and shorter teeth alter- 

 nating, 13 to 15 in number; premaxillary teeth less than half the size 

 of the mandibular teeth, otherwise similar, a wide median area tooth- 

 less; vomer with 3 teeth on each side, in a single series, the median 

 area naked; inner vomerine teeth minute, the middle pair of each 

 group a little larger, the outer pair about as large as the largest 

 mandibular teeth. 



