NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 183 



at all imitated among the Raniformia. These are the Discoglossida? and Aste- 

 rophrydidae. In both the vertebrae are opisthocoelian instead of procoelian, 

 and the sacral diapaphyses are dilated. The latter approaches closest to the 

 ordinary type, having a simple coccyx with but one condyle, no ribs or fron- 

 to-parietal fontanelle, and a styloid xiphisternum. The genera are Megalo- 

 phrys, Xenophrys, Asterophrys, Leptobrachium and Cryptotis, one Indian, one 

 Australian, the rest Malaysian. The former family is the most remarkable. 

 It has rudimentary ribs, a xiphisternum divided into two long haemapophyses, 

 a coccyx with diapophyses and two condyles, and, in the recent types, a fronto- 

 parietal fontanelle. The genera are Latonia, Discoglossus, Alytes, and Bom- 

 binator, all European. There are no arboreal types in these two families, 

 and their terminal phalanges are straight, conic. They form the nearest living- 

 approach to the Batrachia Gradientia. 



The Batrachian which have been called Proteroglossa form, I believe, a 

 family Rhinophrynidre among the Bufoniformes. 



Description of a GAR-PIKE, supposed to be new Lepidosteus (Cylindrosteus^ 



oculatus. 



BY PROFESSOR ALEXANDER WINCHELL. 



In the month of February, 1863, the Museum of the University of Michigan 

 received a specimen of an unknown gar-pike, from Duck Lake, Calhoun Co., 

 Michigan. As Prof. Agassiz had made a special study of this genus, and had 

 declared that he was acquainted with twenty-two species, I transmitted to him 

 a brief description of the fish ; but, for some reason, I received no reply. I 

 sent the same to Prof. Baird, but obtained no assistance ; I then wrote Mr. 

 Putnam, at Cambridge, for references to all the published descriptions of 

 Lepidostei, and, a few months ago, received the information sought ; though 

 most of it was already within my reach. On Prof. Agassiz' visit to Ann 

 Arbor, last winter, during my absence this fish was shown to him by Dr. Sa- 

 ger. Prof. Agassiz thought it had been described by Dr. Kirtlaud, but he 

 could not say in what work the description had appeared. The impression 

 given was, that it had been published in some agricultural work, in Ohio, not 

 generally accessible, and not likely to be seen by ichthyologists. I wrote to 

 Dr. Kirtland on this point but received no reply. I am convinced that this 

 species, if ever described, has not been made known through such a medium 

 that the description can be said to be published to the scientific world. I am, 

 therefore, determined to run tbe slight risk of creating another synonym, by 

 offering the following name and detailed desciiption. 



Lepidosteus (Cylindrosteus) oculatus. Winchell. 



General form elongate-spindle-shaped, laterally flattened toward the tail, 

 and vertically flattened from the nape forwards. Greatest he ; ght contained 

 10 times in the whole length ; greatest width the same. Lower outline 

 nearly straight, slightly ascending at the throat, and more so from a point an- 

 terior to the anal to the base of the caudal fin ; upper outline gently curved 

 along the back, anteriorly somewhat more rapidly curved to a point over the 

 angle of the mouth ; lateral outline gently and equally curved from the ex- 

 tremity of the snout to the base of the tail ; greatest vertical diameter through 

 a point about three scales in front of the abdominal fins ; greatest transverse 

 diameter through a point about six scales in front of the abdominals. 



Number of scales in a diagonal series (between the dorsal and ventral rows) 

 18, occasionally increased to 19, by the interpo ation of an additional scale 

 near the ventral row ; number of scales in the dorsal row, between the head 

 and the dorsal fin, 48 ; behind the dorsal fin, 8 or 9. The first diagonal series 

 of scales do not meet on the nape of the neck, being separated by the pair of 

 mutually equivalent scales of the dorsal row, which belong in the second di- 

 1864.] 



