7 Geo. 5 Provincial Museum Report. Q 19 



Note. — The United states National Museum. Washington, have accepted for publication 

 the notes prepared by Dr. C. H. Gilbert, announcing the discovery of this interesting species 

 BeHthodesmus in the Pacific. 



The Benthodesmns atianticus is uniform silvery in colour throughout, with traces of dark 

 colour on the head and tail — length. 41% inches — and was caught by fishermen fishing for cod 

 near Victoria on May 30th, 1916. (F. K.) 



•" The only other known specimen was taken from the stomach of a halibut caught on the 

 western edge of the Grand Bank of Newfoundland in 80 fathoms." (Goode & Bean.) (See 

 Plate III.) 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF BEHTHODESMUS ATL.WT1CUS (GOODE & BEAN) ON THE 



COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



By De. C. H. Gilbert, Professor of Zoology. Standard University, cal. 



A specimen of Benthodfsmtts, 41V> inches long, was obtained on May 30th, 1916, from a fish- 

 dealer in Victoria. B.C.. having been caught by fishermen off Bentinck Island, which lies near 

 Race Rocks, about ten miles by water from Victoria. The specimen is the property of the 

 Provincial Museum of Victoria, and has been submitted to us for identification by Mr. F. 

 Kermode, the Director of the Museum. 



E>eseriptioirT Greatest width of body. 2^ :1 in height at vent. Length of caudal peduncle, 

 half greatest height of body. Least height of tail, % bony interorbital width. Greatest width 

 of head. Vfe its length. Greatest height of head, 3% in its length. Width of interorbital area 

 (bony i. 1 t height of head. Length of snout. 2*4 in head. Tip of maxillary not reaching the 

 orbit, the length of maxillary equalling the postorbital part of head. Length of lower jaw, 1% 

 times greatest height of body. Flexible part of mandibular tip short in the preserved specimen, 

 about % diameter of orbit. Eye postmedian, 5% in head, 2% in length of snout. 



Sides of maxillary with nine or ten triangular teeth, which decrease from middle or sides of 

 jaw loth forwards and backwards. Two pairs of narrow compressed fangs in the anterior part 

 of the upper jaw. the anterior pair immediately behind the tip, the posterior pair separated by 

 a considerable interspace, but located in front of the series of compressed lateral teeth already 

 described. In advance of th • most anterior of the compressed lateral teeth a series of six or 

 seven short slender conical teeth continued forwards to the anterior pair of fangs 'and passing 

 outside the posterior pair of fangs. Side of inaudible with fourteen or fifteen compressed 

 triangular teeth in a single series, decreasing in length forwards, and inclined slightly towards 

 the front of the jaw. In advance of these, on each side of the symphysis, are two pairs of 

 short retrorsely directed teeth, the anterior pair much shorter than the posterior pair. Other 

 bones of the month toothless. 



First gill-arch with four or five or seven or eight slender short distant rakers, the longest 

 about 2 mm. in length. Each rise from a plate which bears short spines, and between each pair 

 of these plates, on the outer surface of the arch, are interposed two similar smaller plates which 

 do not tear rakers. The rakers are borne only on the posterior third of the horizontal limb of 

 the arch, but the spinous plates are continued farther forwards, and become merged along the 

 anterior part of the arch in a narrow spinous strip. The other arches are similar to the first, 

 but contain fewer free rakers. The upper pharyngeals are well toothed and work against the 

 as plates on the horizontal limbs of the arches. 



First dorsal ray slightly in advance of the middle of the operculum, the front of the orbit 

 midway 1 etween the first ray and the tip of the snout. There are 142 rays in all, the posterior 

 the longest. The rays rise from the anterior ends of a series of interneural bones which form 

 a sharp ridge along the dorsal profile. 



The vent is beneath the 16th dorsal ray, its distance from the tip of the snout 3 1 /, times 

 the length of the head. Distance from vent to postanal scute. % diameter of orbit. Immediately 

 behind the scute begins a series of eighty-eight interlneiuals, which forms a continuous sharp 

 ridge along the lower profile. The anterior ones bear no rays, but these gradually appear 



-riorly. about forty of the posterior plates bearing evident free rays, which increase in 

 length posteriorly. 



The pectorals contain twelve rays, the lower distinctly the longest, equalling the postorbital 

 length of the head. Ventrals mutilated, their base posterior to that of pectoral by % diameter 



