1893.] A. Alcock — Account of the Deep Sea Collection. 181 



Bregmaceros, Thompson. 



4. Bregmaceros MacGlellandii, Thornps. 



A fine specimen from the Bay of Bengal in 128 fathoms. 

 The small and immature specimens dredged in previous years at 

 and near this depth, probably belong to this species. 



Family, Ophidiidae. 



Neobtthites, Goode and Bean. 



5. Neobythites steatiticus, n. sp., PL IX Fig 3. 



B. 8. D. circ. 85. A circ. 65. C. 8. P. circ. 22 V. 2. 



The large heavy head is in length about one-fourth of the total, 

 caudal included, and is armed with a large opercular spine. The 

 snout, which is bluntly pointed and overhangs the mouth, is in length 

 eqnal to the diameter of the eye, or between a fifth and a sixth the 

 length of the head. The eyes are large and prominent, without any 

 orbital fold : they are a little over a diameter apart. The nostrils 

 are large, the anterior being a small tube near the tip of the snout, the 

 posterior being a large foramen at the angle of the eye. 



The mouth is large, the maxillary extending far behind the poste- 

 rior border of the orbit, and being nearly half of the head in length. 



Teeth viliform, in narrow bands in the jaws, vomer, and palatines. 



Gill-cleft very wide, the gill-membranes being separate through- 

 out. Four gills, with broad lamina? and close-set gill-rakers, which are 

 long in the middle of the first arch. 



Each pseudobranch consists of two pinnules only. The head, body, 

 and base of the dorsal and pectoral fins are covered with small, 

 moderately adherent scales, of which there are about nine rows be- 

 tween the first dorsal ray and the lateral line, and about twenty-one 

 rows between the lateral line and the vent. The vertical fins have long 

 delicate rays, which are completely invested in loose skin : the dorsal 

 begins well in advance of the base of the pectoral, and the anal on a 

 level with the tip of the latter, both being confluent with the caudal at 

 its base. 



Pectorals with large fleshy scaly base: the ventrals arise on the 

 pectoral symphysis, and consist of two long filaments fused together in 

 their basal half. 



Stomach siphonal ; intestine much coiled ; about eight or nine 

 minute rudimentary pyloric casca encircle the pylorus. 



Colour in spirit, creamy yellow clouded and marbled with shades 

 of light, brown which forms four ill-defined cross-bands, nil of them 

 involving the dorsal fin : a large oval ocellus, formed of a black centre 



