Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 373 



<ia. Body with distinct fins, at least on the back. 



c. Aual fin wholly wanting ; no pectoral fin ; dorsal fin high, beginning on the head I 



gill openings subinferior, converging ; anterior nostrils tubular ; tongue slender, 



somewhat free In front, LETnARcars, 177. 



re Anal fin well developed ; anterior nostril usually in a short tube near tip of snoiit. 



d. Teeth blunt, mostly granular or molar ; vomer with teeth ; pectoral fins 



present, small. 



e. Dorsal rather high, beginning on the head, before the gill opening. 



MVRICHTIIYS, 178. 



ee. Dorsal fin beginning behind the gill opening, the fin usually low. 



PiSOODOJJOPHIS, 179. 

 dd. Teeth all pointed, none of them molar ; vomer with teeth. 



/. Dorsal fin beginning before nape, on anterior part of head ; pectoral 



fin small or wanting. 



g. Pectoral fins wholly wanting ; body compressed, the dorsal fin 



high. Callechelvs, 180. 



gg. Pectoral fins small, but present ; body elongate, subterete, the 



dorsal fin moderate. Bascanichthys, 181. 



//. Dorsal fin beginning more or less behind gill opening. 



//. Pectoral fins reduced to a small flap, not longer than eye ; 

 teeth small, mostly uniserial ; gill openings lateral. 



QUASSIREMUS, 182. 



hh. Pectoral fins -well developed, much longer than eye ; tcith 

 gill-openings usually lateral, sometimes subinferior. 

 1. Snout moderate or short, less than one-fourth head, the 

 jaws not produced into a slender beak (as in the 

 European genus Ophhumit). 

 j. Lips not fringed. 



h Teeth subequal, with no elongate canines on 

 jaws or vomer. OpniCHTHUS, 183. 



Jck. Teeth unequal, some of them long canines, either 

 on vomer or on sides of one or both jaws ; 

 mouth large,the snout short, and the eyes 

 more or less superior. 



?. Teeth on vomer small, fixed, in two or 

 three series ; tail a little longer than 

 rest of body. MysxEiopHis, 184. 

 U. Teeth on vomer a series of about four 

 depressible canines ; tail much 

 shorter than rest of body. 



SCYTALICHTHTS, 185. 



_y. Lips with a conspicuous fringe of papilla? ; canines 

 present on jaws and vomer ; jaws rather long, the 

 lower projecting ; head depressed ; eyes superior ; 

 tail shorter than rest of body. 



BnAOHYSOMOPIIIS, ISfi. 



175. SPHAGEBRANCHUS, Bloch. 



Sphagehranchm, Bloou. Ichthyologia, ix, 88, pi. 419, 1795, (rostralm).* 



CiecUm, LAcfcpicnE, Hist. Nat. Poises., Ii, 135, 1800, (branderiuna=ca'cns^; (not CpccHm, L., a genus of 



Balruchia). 

 Aplericlilhiif, De la Roche, Ann. Mus., xiil, 325, 1809, (coecus). 

 Uranderius, BAFiXEsgiE, Analyse de la Nature, 1815, 93, (copchs). 



* Sphngelnanchus roslralus, Bloch, is known only from the original fig\ire and description. 

 According to these the species is allied to Sphagebmnchus selachops, having similar gill openings, 

 but with the tail scarcely as long as the rest of the body, the head larger, about 2 in l>ody or 5 

 in total length; snout very sharp; eve moderate. According to Bloch, his type came from 

 the East Indies. Schneider (1801) corrects the locality to " rivers of Surinam." We have no 

 means of knowing which record is correct, until the species is found again. 



