1450 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



overpassed by tlie bluntly rounded snout for a distance (taken axially) 

 equal to \ diameter of pupil; cleft of the moutb moderately oblique, the 

 maxillary reaching vertical from middle of pupil; length of maxillary 

 (measured from front of premaxillaries) 3^ in head ; mandible with a broad 

 band of villiform teeth of uniform size; premaxillaries with a similar 

 broad villiform band, preceded by an outer series of small canines, close- 

 set, smaller in size than iu related species; preorbital of moderate width, 

 swollen and turgid as in Pachyurus, its width 6J in head; posterior nostril 

 large, circular, without trace of raised membranous edge; anterior nos- 

 tril vertically elliptical, small, and with raised margin; preopereular 

 margin with 14 to 16 spinous teeth (iu the type specimen), the upper ones 

 minute, increasing in size toward preopereular augle, around which they 

 evenly radiate, none conspicuously enlarged, and the lowermost not 

 directed abrujitly downward. Gill rakeis short, the lougest about equal- 

 ing diameter of posteiior nostril, 7 movable ones on upper limb of arch, 

 13 below. First dorsal high, of very slender flexible spines, except the 

 first two; second spine strong and rigid, as long as the fourth, contained 

 If times in the head; third spine the longest, reachiug when declined to 

 base of first ray of second dorsal, its lengtli If in head ; from the third, 

 the spines decrease rapidly, so that the distal margin of the fin is sub- 

 vertical; the tenth spiue shortest, its membrane reaching base only of the 

 eleventh, which belongs to second dorsal and is f diameter of the eye; sec- 

 ond dorsal high, the longest ray equaling length of snout audeye; caudal 

 sublanceolate, mutilated so that its exact shape can not be ascertained ; 

 middle rays considerablj' longer than the outer, and at least f leugth of 

 head; second anal spine long and strong, its length 1|^ in head, slightly 

 greater than that of first soft ray Avhich, however, projects beyond it; 

 outer ventral ray produced iu a very short filament, about i diameter 

 of eye; ventral spine 2= in head, the longest ray, exclusive of filament, 

 li iu head, reaching j distance from their base to vent; pectorals 1^ 

 in head, reaching a vertical from tips of ventrals. Lips, brauchioste- 

 gals, gular membranes, and under side of snout naked, head and body 

 otherwise scaled; scales on mandible and those iu advance of nostrils 

 cycloid or those on top of snout very weakly ctenoid, scales otherwise 

 strongly ctenoid; second dorsal ami aual with a definite low scaly sheath 

 at base consisting of ai single series of small scales, and, iu addition, series 

 of scales on the membraues extending g distance to tip. Caudal scaled to 

 tip ; lateral line with a long low curve, the height of which equals ^ diame- 

 ter of orbit. Color steel gray above, without dark streaks, white below, 

 the cheeks and lower portion of sides with much brown specking, some- 

 times confined to the margins of the scales; mouth white within; lining 

 of opercles blackish ; fins dusky, the distal part of ventrals black, the outer 

 ray white; anal with the anterior rays tipped with black. A single speci- 

 men, about 8 inches long. Panama. This species is closely related to 

 O. sciei-us, but differs in the longer, less compressed body, the jilain colora- 

 tion, the turgid preorbitals, less arched lateral line, and smaller teeth. 

 (Gilbert.) (A diminutive of simus, snub-nosed.) 

 Ophiosciou siniulus, Gilbert MS., Fishes of Panama 1898, Panama (Coll. C. II. Gilbert.) 



