Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 371 



upper jaw ; uo teeth ou vomer in two specimens examined; tongue not 

 free ; lower jaw considerably shorter than upper, its edge considerably 

 curved, concave in outline. Nape somewhat elevated; top of head with 

 large pores. Head h\ in distance from snout to vent; head and trunk a 

 little shorter than tail; body slender, its greatest depth a little more 

 than length of gape. Pectoral short and broad, slightly longer than 

 snout; the gill opening short, obli(|ue, exteniiing downward and back- 

 ward from near middle of base of pectoral. Dorsal tin beginning behind 

 vent, at a distance about equal to length of gape ; the tin very low in 

 front, becoming gradually higher towards the tip of tail ; anal low, but 

 well developed, considerably higher than dorsal, highest anteriorly, 

 uniting with the dorsal around the tail. Dark brown, apparently uni- 

 form, somewhat paler below. Length 15 inches. Egmont Key, Florida. 

 One specimen known. 



M/iropIiis eijmontis, Jordan, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18S4, 44, Egmont Key, Florida. 



(Type, No. 35086. Coll. Jordan.) 

 Altlia eymonUs, Jordan & Davis, I. c, C39. 



173. MYROPHIS, Liitken. 



MyniphU, LuTKEN, Vidoiisk. Meddel. Nat. Foren. Kjiibeubavu, 1, 1851, {pitiuialiis). 



Boby slender, subterete. Pectoral fins small, but present; vertical fins 

 low, surrounding the tail ; dorsal beginning before the vent. Vomerine 

 teeth anteriorly in two or three series. Three species of small eels, 

 resembling earthworms, found on the sandy shores of tropical America. 

 ilivpoq, Myrus, a genus of eels; o(j)i<;, snake.) 



a. Base of pectoral half width of gill opening ; snout Tery narrow. punctatus, 608. 



aa. Base of pectoral as wide as gill opening ; snout almost as broad as long. vafer, 609. 



608. MYROPHIS PUNCTATUS, Liitken. 



Base of pectoral fin half width of gill opening ; snout very narrow ; 

 jaws weak ; width of snout between the anterior nostrils less than diam- 

 eter of eye ; width of interorbital space equal to eye ; greatest width of 

 head less than that of body behind the gill openings ; teeth uniserial on 

 vomer and mandible, biserial on maxillary ; head 3 times in trunk, 7 

 times in the tail; depth of body at gill openings 2f in head; eye 2 in 

 snout, which is 6 in head ; gape 3^ in head ; upper jaw iirojecting. General 

 color light brown, the sides and back punctate with dark brown dots; 

 belly and throat plain, except a little patch of dusky points below the 

 gill openings. West Indian Fauua ; coast of Texas to Surinam ; common 

 along our Gulf Coast ; resembling an earthworm and scarcely larger. 

 {punctatus, speckled.) 



Mijrophis puiictalus, Lutken, Vid. Med. Naturh. Foren. Kjcibeu., 1, 1851, West Indies; Jordan, 



Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1883, 282 ; Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., 1884, 33 ; Jordan & 



Davis, /. c, 640. 

 Myrophis longicollis, Kaup, Apodes, 30, 185G, (not Mtirieiia longicolUs Cuvier, which is Echelus 



mynis). 

 Myrophis microstigmiits, PoEY, Repertorio, 11, 250, 18G7, Cuba; Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 900, 



1883. 

 Myrophis lumbricus, Jordan A Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 261, Galveston, Texas. 



(Type, No. 30896. Coll. Jordan.) Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 899, 1883. 



