I. '08. 46 



The large perfect specimen of 132 mm. (S.B. 397) was 

 found in the month of the deep-water Gadoid fish Mora medi- 

 terranea ; the other large example (S.E. 493), which is unfor- 

 tunately very macerated, was taken from the stomach of the 

 deep-water eel Synaphohranclius pinnatus — an enormous meal 

 for a fish only 33 cms. in length. Judging from the numerous 

 occasions on which half -digested fragments of large specimens 

 have been found, the adult is not rare in Irish waters ; it seems 

 probable that the speciciS is very active and manages to evade 

 the trawl in its passage along the bottom. 



Vertical range. — As far as at present known Pasiphac prin- 

 ceps is restricted to the bottom. It has been trawled in the 

 W. x\tl^ntic between 444 and 1,342 fathoms (Smith) ; off 

 Ecuador in 1,132 fathoms (Faxon), in the N. Pacific in 399 

 and 859 fathoms (Eathbun) and in the Bay of Biscay in 246 

 fathoms. The vertical range is, therefore, 246 to 1,342 

 fathoms. 



Pasiphae sp. juv. 



On several occasions small specimens of Pasiphae, ranging 

 up to 25 mm. in length, have been met with in deep water off 

 the Irish coast. These specimens show the bifurcated telson 

 typical of P. tarda and P. princeps, but to which of these 

 species they should be referred is by no means clear. The 

 rostra present a close similarity to that found in P. tarda, but 

 a s])ecjmen of 37 mm., which can clearly be referred to P. 

 piinccps, differs so little from tarda in this respect that the 

 character must be considered untrustworthy in very small in- 

 dividuals. None of these post-larval specimens show traces 

 of spines on the ischium and basus, and the shape of the an- 

 tennal scale and comparative measurements — features by 

 which tarda and princeps may easily be distinguished at sizes 

 of 40 mm. and upwards — do not suffice to determine the two 

 species among the material examined. Seeing that only a 

 single example of P. tarda has been found off the Irish coast, 

 while P. princeps is not uncommon, it is probable that these 

 post-larval specimens belong to the latter species, but it is 

 impossible to be certain of this without comparison with 

 authentic young P. tardea. 



Post-larval specimens have been found on the following 

 occasions : — 



Helqa. 



CXX.— 24/8/'01.— 53° 58' N., 12° 22' W. 382 fathoms. Trawl— One. 

 S.R.227.— 14/5/'05.— 53° 20' N., 13° 0' W. 164 fathoms. Trawl 



Temperature at 120 fathoms 9-5° C. — One. 

 S.R.351.— 9/8/'06.— 50° 19' 30" N., 11° 6' W. 230-250 fathoms. 



Trawl. Temperature at 245 fathoms 10-1° C, salinity 



35-43°/oo— Twentv-six. 

 S.R.359.— 8/8/'06.— 52°0'N., 12°G' W. 465-492 fathoms. Trawl. 



Temperature at 475 fathoms, 9 -04° C, salinity 35 -37 

 One. 





