630 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Spinous dorsal evenly rounded; fourth spine longest, equaling height of soft rays; fifth higher 
than third; second anal spine much longer than third, and also longer than longest dorsal spine; 
ventrals extending beyond origin of anal; upper pectoral ray and the lower 10 rays simple, the others 
branched; pectoral not procurrent, some of the simple rays of the lower half the longest. 
Scales weakly ctenoid and somewhat deciduous on sides of body, cycloid on belly, breast, and 
prepectoral area; a few ctenoid scales on upper part of cheeks and opercles, the head otherwise scale- 
less; skin of sides and top of head quite generally covered with minute papilla;, most of which inclose 
a central prickle, these found even upon scales of head. 
Color in life, snout, upper part of head and lower jaw, purplish; preopercle with a greenish 
spot; occiput brown, tinged with brassy; sides of body mottled with lilac, brick-red, vermilion, green- 
ish, and pearly bluish white; a whitish streak running from belly obliquely upward and backward to 
dorsal fin; dorsal mottled with red and lilac, parts of it translucent, the tips of the spines usually 
white; caudal clouded with vermilion, the lower part tipped with lemon; anal clouded with lake-red, 
tipped with lemon; pectoral lake-red, upper part yellowish olive; ventrals lake-red; throat suffused 
with lilac; belly white. 
Six specimens were secured, all from station 3849. 
Peloropsis, new genus. 
Allied to Scorpamopsis, but with head and belly closely compressed, the proximal half of rostrum 
much contracted, the scales all cycloid, the head naked, the belly and breast completely scaled, the 
pectoral fin not procumbent below and the third dorsal spine much produced beyond the others. 
Peloropsis Gilbert, new genus of Seorpxnidse (xenops). 
Peloropsis xenops, new species. Fig. 245. 
Type, 152 mm. long, from station 3872, Avau Channel, between Maui and Lanai islands, depth 32 
to 43 fathoms; type, No. 51604, U. S. Nat. Mus. 
Head 47 hundredths of length from tip of snout to base of caudal; greatest depth 46; least depth 
of caudal peduncle 12; greatest thickness 22; diameter of orbit 9; interorbital width 5.5; length of 
snout 18; thickness of basal portion of rostrum 3.5; length of maxillary 23; length of longest (third) 
dorsal spine 35; fourth spine 25; eleventh spine' 11; twelfth spine 14; longest soft dorsal ray 18; first 
anal spine 12; second anal spine 22; third anal spine 21; highest anal ray 27; length of caudal 33; 
pectoral 34; ventral 29. D. xii, 9, the last ray cleft to base and appearing like 2 rays; A. m, 5, the last 
ray cleft to base; P. 18. Tubes of lateral line bearing no definite relation to the scales, 23 in number; 
scales in irregular series, about 70 vertical rows above lateral line. 
Body everywhere closely compressed, greatest width (at opercles) scarcely half the depth; region 
between eyes and nostrils uniformly contracted and compressed to a mer.e keel, snout in front and the 
interorbital behind abruptly widened; the interorbital space very deeply channeled, without ridges, 
its width but little more than half diameter of eye; occipital region much contracted immediately 
behind orbits, upper half of orbital rim prominently elevated and separated from rest of head; nasal 
spines small; low preocular, supraocular, and postocular spines present, and a high compressed parieto- 
nuchal ridge, consisting of 2 fused spines; occiput with a quadrangular depression a little below level 
of interorbital groove, separated from this and other adjacent regions by low ridges; a pair of shallow 
cup-like depressions on sides of interorbital space below that portion of supraorbital rim which lies 
between supraocular and postocular spines; a small and a large supraocular spine, and one behind 
middle of orbit; a wide excavated space intervenes between orbit and subocular ridge, which bears a 
series of 4 low spines directed backward; the ridge joins preopercle nearly midway between first and 
second preopercular spines, which are short, triangular, equal in length; a shorter third preopercular 
spine present, and a slight protuberance representing fourth spine; margin of preorbital with 2 small 
lobes, each provided with an indistinct spinous point; head, body, and fins well furnished with cuta- 
neous flaps; on head they occupy the usual positions, in connection with nasal tube, supraocular and 
preocular spines, lobes of preorbital, and maxillary and mandible; on sides, the largest flaps are along 
lateral line, smaller ones being variously scattered; broad flaps are attached to tips of anterior dorsal 
spines; smaller flaps and filaments scattered Over dorsal and pectoral fins; mandible -protruding 
beyond snout, its tip with a short symphyseal knob; maxillary very broad, reaching a vertical slightly 
