752 



PROCEEDJNGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL. XXV.1 



Genera 7, species abovit 25. Carnivorous fishes, found in most warm i 

 seas, some of them deseendin|^ to considerable depths, the group espe- 

 cially well represented in tropical America. 



a. Heail sealele.ss; scales of body rudiiiientarj', scarcely embedded; opercle ending 

 in a sharp spine, concealed by the skin; air bladder short and broad, with a large 

 foramen behind Otophidium, 6 



6. OTOPHIDIUM Gill. 

 Otopkidium Gi-LL, in Jordan, Cat. Fish. North Anier., 188p, p. 126 {omoMigma). 



This genus differs from Ophidion in the form of the air bladder, 

 which is short and thick and with a large foramen. The opercle ends 

 in a concealed spine as in Chilara. 



{ov5, ear; Oj)hidmm.) 



6. OTOPHIDIUM ASIRO Jordan and Fowler, new species. 



Head 5; depth 6f ; D. 155; A. 125; P. 25; e3'e 4 in head, 2^ in max- 

 illary; snout 5 in head, 2| in maxillarj^; maxillary 1| in head; pectoral 

 2^; depth of head li in its length; head 1 in trunk; head and trunk 

 1| in tail. 



DIU.M ASIKO. 



Body elongate, deep and compressed, the tail tapering to a point. 

 Head compressed, about as broad as bod}^ in front; snout rather 

 blunth' rounded; eye large, its posterior edge much nearer tip of snout 

 than gill-opening; maxillary reaching a little beyond posterior margin 

 of eye, and its distal extremity expanded so that it is equal to i its 

 length; nostrils rather small directly in front of the eye; teeth in 

 rather broad bands in the jaws, and with an outer enlarged series; 

 vomerine and palatine teeth conical; tongue rather slender, pointed, 

 and adnate to the floor of the mouth. Gill-oponings very larg-e, joined 

 to the isthmus; pseudobranchiie of a few small lilaments; gill-rakers 

 large, 3 + 3 in the first arch. Opercular spine large, covered by skin. 



Head naked ; body covered more or less with elongated small cycloid 

 scales. 



Dorsal, anal, and caudal continuous, the latter terminating in a point; 

 origin of the dorsal before the tip of the pectoral; pectoral rather 

 small, its margin rather pointed; ventrals jugular, of two rather long 



I 



