PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 261 



of pectoral, which is about equal to greatest depth of body ; teeth all 

 distinctly biserial. Dorsal beginning a little in front of tip of pectoral. 

 Fins all edged with black. 



Body not very slender. Head narrow and pointed, the upper jaw 

 projecting beyond lower. Bye large, more than half length of snout, 

 its position over the middle of the gape, its diameter more than the 

 interorbital width ; gape 2| in length of head ; teeth biserial on jaws 

 and vomer, subequal, short, slender, and sharp, all of them more or less 

 directed backward; no large canines; some of the vomerine teeth 

 larger than the others ; nasal tubes short and inconspicuous ; gill- 

 openings small, their height about f eye. 



Tail almost exactly twice length rest of body. Head slightly more 

 than half trunk, nearly 9 in total length. Distance from snout to front 

 of dorsal 2J in distance from snout to vent. Dorsal beginning opposite 

 anterior fourth of pectoral, rather low. Pectorals long and narrow, 

 about 2f in head. Free tip of tail sharp. This species is allied to 

 Ophichthys parilis (Ricli.), but seems to be well distinguished by the 

 short tubes of the nostrils. 



32. Ophichthys chrysops Poey. P. 



f Ophisurus gomesii Castelnau, Auim. Am6r. Sud., Poiss. j). 84. 



Two specimens, one male and one female, the male about 20 inches 

 long, in poor condition, were taken from the stomach of a Red Snapper 

 at Pensacola. The male with the testes well developed ; the female 

 with two mrge ovaries extending for the entire length of abdominal 

 cavity. 



33. Myrophis lumbricus sp. no v. (G.) 30896. 



A single specimen, 9 inches in length, obtained at Galveston. 



Color light olivaceous, scarcely translucent in life, with a slight 

 bluish luster towards the head. Everywhere, except on belly, finely and 

 densely punctulate with black, besides which are small faint spots of 

 greenish yellow. Eyes bright green. Underside of belly and head with 

 steel-blue luster. 



Body subterete, worm-like, tai^eriug backward almost to a point, 

 even the tail scarcely compressed^ Diameter of head much less than of 

 body. Head extremely small, slender, and pointed, the narrow upper 

 jaw projecting well beyond lower. Eye small, considerably nearer 

 angle of mouth than tip of snout, its length about half snout. Gape 

 short, about 4 in head. Teeth all strong, slender, sharp, directed back- 

 ward, apparently in single series, some of the anterior in the upper jaw 

 canine-like, a single series of teeth on the vomer rather stronger than 

 the teeth in the jaws. 



Gill openings small, oblique, rather close together, subinferior, just 

 below the minute rounded pectorals, which are narrower than the gill 

 openings and not much larger than the eye. Opercular region long, 

 with very conspicuous concentric strife. 



