C2 PROCEEDIAGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



laginous plate) aud remote from the skull, and with separately ossitied 

 but imperfect vertebrae. Whether other than the two genera men- 

 tioned, Eurypharynx and Gastrostonuis, belong to this order is not en- 

 tirely certain, but there is little doubt, in the opinion of Mr. Kyder 

 and myself, that the family Saccopharyngidte also belongs to the order, 

 and it is for the purpose of calling attention to this doubtful and still 

 little known type that in behalf of Mr. Ryder and myself I address the 

 present communication. No satisfactory information has been given as 

 to the Saccopharyngidae, except by Dr. Mitchill in 1824 and bj^ Dr. 

 Harwood in the Philosophical Transactions for 1827. The plate pub- 

 lished in the volume cited represents the head of Ophiognathus with 

 the mouth closed as well as open, and the differences in the relation of 

 the i^osterior angles of the mouth to the axis indicate that Ophiogna- 

 thus (as well as Saccopharynx) has a movable snspensorium, aud would 

 therefore exhibit the Lyomerous peculiarity of structure. It appears 

 from Dr. Giinther's 'Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum' 

 (vol. viii, p. 22), that in 1870 there were two specimens of a Saccopha- 

 ryngoid fish — probably the Ophiognathus ampullaceus — in the British 

 collection. (It is possible that the so-called young mentioned in the 

 catalogue may be a Eurypharyngoid.) The question whether that spe- 

 cies belongs to the Lyomeri can therefore be readily settled negatively 

 or affirmatively. Assuming that the family Saccopharyngidce belongs 

 to the order, the two families would apparently be distinguishable as 

 follows : 



" The Eurypharyngidoe are Lyomeri with the brauchio-anal portion 

 much shorter than the rostro-branchial ; with the tail very elongated 

 and moderately attenuated backwards ; the head flat above, and with 

 a transverse rostral margin, at the outer angles of which the eyes are 

 exposed ; with the palatine jaws excessively elongated backwards and 

 the upper parallel, and closing against each other as far as the articu- 

 lation of the two suspensorial bones ; with minute teeth on both jaws ; 

 the dorsal and aiuxl fins well develoi>ed and continued nearly to the 

 end of the tail, and with minute, narrow pectoral fins. 



" The SaccopharyngidsB appear "to be Lyomeri with the branchio-anal 

 portion much longer than the rostro-branchial; the tail excessively 

 elongated aud attenuated ; the cranium unknown ; the eyes antero- 

 lateral; with the palatine bones moderately extended backwards (in 

 comparison with the Eurypharyngidae), aud apparently not closable 

 against each other ; with enlarged teeth in one or both jaws ; with the 

 dorsal and anal fins feebly developed, and with pectorals small but 

 broad. Saccopharyux is considered by Dr. Giinther to consist of ' deep- 

 sea congers,' but evidently it is uot at all related to the congers or any 

 other allied fishes." 



