346 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
120"E 125"E 
120^E 125'^E 
Figure 4. Collection sites of the holotype (triangle) and additional specimens (circles) of Eptatretus luzonicus in the 
Philippines. 
12°43'5HN, 124°58'50"E, off northern Batag Island (north of Samar). The reeent material from 
Hearst Expedition was eolleeted from two different stations in the western part of Verde Island Pas¬ 
sage: one off northern Lubang Island and another off eastern Golo Island. It is likely that E. luzon¬ 
icus has a wider distribution in the Philippines. 
Habitat.— Aeeording to a report of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, the Albatross station 
D5444, where the holotype ofE. luzonicus was trawled, was at 308 fathoms (563 m) depth, on a 
green mud bottom with a bottom temperature of 44.3°F (6.8°C). The surfaee water temperature was 
83°F (28.3°C) (Anonymous 1910). The additional material from the Verde Island Passage was eol¬ 
leeted at depths between 578 and 710 m. Sediment type ranged from mud to sand. 
Discussion 
The holotype has eompletely lost its skin, making aceurate measurements of the tail length and 
tail depth, and measurements taken from the ventral finfold impossible (those measurements in 
Table 1 are approximations). The first two barbels on the left side are shorter than those on the right 
and appear to have been previously dried. There are deep dissections along the ventral part of the 
prebranchial and branchial regions and along both sides of the trunk region. Some internal organs 
are missing, although it is still possible to observe the dental muscle, gill pouches, heart, parts of 
