PEDICULATI 



719 



Fam. 2. Oeratiidae. — Mouth extremely large, terminal, with 

 strong cardiform teeth. Gill-opening in lower axil of pectoral ;. 

 pseudobranchiae absent. Pectoral fin scarcely geniculated, with 

 three pterygials. Ventral fins absent. Spinous dorsal fin 

 usually present, sometimes reduced to a single tentacle on the 

 snout. Skin naked. 



The members of this family, about 25 in number, are all 

 inhabitants of great depths (300-2600 fathoms). The colour of 

 the body is usually a deep black, and the first dorsal spine, on the 

 head, may terminate in a luminous bulb with or without 



Fig. iSS.—Simantolophus reinhardti, outline and skeleton. (After Liitken.) x 1. 



filaments. "The Bathybial Sea-devils," writes Glinther, "are 

 degraded forms of LopUus ; they descend to the greatest depths 

 of the ocean. Their bones are of an extremely light and thin 

 texture, and frequently other parts of their organisation, their 

 integuments, muscles, and intestines are equally loose in texture 

 when the specimens are brought to the surface. In their habits- 

 they probably do not differ in any degree from their surface 

 representative, Lophius." 



Principal genera : Ceraticcs, Aceratias, Oneirodes, Eimantolophus, 

 AegaeonicUhys, Melanocetus, Liocetus, Linopliryne, Caulophryne,. 

 Dolopichthys. 



