410 
Genus Mala c osteus Ayres 
Malacosteus AYRES, Boston Journ. Nat. Hist., vol. 6, Sept. 
1849, p. 53. Type Malacosteus nige r AYRES, raonotypic. 
Body compressed. Head rather compressed. Snout blunt, 
short. Eye far forward, at front end of snout. Mouth cleft 
extremely wide, jaw bones and preopercle greatly prolonged to 
form an enormous gape. Premaxillary teeth small, fixed. Max¬ 
illary teeth minute, oblique, or absent. Lower jaw with 4 or 5 
enlarged, fixed fangs, barbed at tips with smaller fixed teeth 
between and behind. Palate toothless; 10 to 12 pairs in 4 
groups on basibranchials, rudimentary or absent on gill arches. 
No barbel. Gills 4. Gill filaments very short. Branchioste- 
gals 8, extremely short, rod like, cartilaginous. L^rge sub¬ 
ocular luminous organ below eye, pointed anteriorly; small 
double organ above its hind end postocular luminous organ well 
behind eye. No photophores on branchiostegal membrane and no 
serial photophores on body. Dorsal and anal origins opposite, 
with deep muscular bases and think blackish fin membranes. 
Pectoral small, rays 3 to 5. Ventral rays 6, postmedian. 
