382 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



h. Ej'o large, inoro thiiu lialf length of snout. 

 i. Ileail rather short, 2,% to 3 in trunk. 



j. Pectoral about as long as cleft of mouth, which is 2% in head. 



QOMESII, 031. 

 jj. Pectorals longer than cleft of mouth, which is 2)^ in head. 



ZOPHOCHIR, 032. 

 ii. Head long, \% to 1% in trunk ; pectoral a little longer than gape. 



MAGNIOCULIS, 033. 



hh. Eye small, 2^-2 in snout: gill openings narrow; anterior nostril with along 

 tube ; pectoral longer than gape. parilis, 634. 



Subgenus CRYPTOPTERUS, Kaup. 



625. OPHICHTHIS PUNCTICEPS (Kaup). 



Teeth of upper jaw in 2 or 3 series. Mandibular teeth not quite uni- 

 eerial, some in front forming a second series ; dorsal and anal fins disap- 

 pearing for some distance before their termination near end of tail ; pec- 

 toral fin well developed ; dorsal fin commencing at a short distance behind 

 end of pectoral ; tail I of total length ; eye of moderate size ; cleft of 

 mouth of moderate width. Coloration uniform. (Kaup per Giinther.) 

 Caribbean Sea, at Puerto Cabello. (punctus, speckled; -c<';>s, head.) 



Cri/ploplerris pnnctici'ps, Kaui', Aale Hamb. Mue., ii, pi. 1, fig. 2, 1859, Puerto Cabello. 

 Ophichthys puncUcevs, UI'ntuer, Cat., viii„eO, 1870; Jordan & Davis, I. c, 029. 



Subgenus OPHICHTHUS. 

 626. OPHICHTHUS HAVANNES SIS (Bloch & Schneider). 



Teeth of upper jaw in 2 or 3 series ; lower teeth uniserial; vomerine 

 teeth nearly or quite uniserial. Sides of body with one or more series of 

 large, round, black spots ; brown ; head with numerous small dark spots 

 and longitudinal folds ; a series of large, round, dark spots along the side, 

 the interspaces as wide as the spots ; another series of alternate smaller 

 spots along the back, and another along the sides of abdomen; fins yel- 

 lowish, dorsal with a series of brown spots along the edge ; eye large, 

 looking upwards, If in snout ; teeth moderate, those in front of upper jaw 

 somewhat canine-like ; pectoral fin well developed, its extremity nearly 

 opposite to the origin of the dorsal fin ; tail longer than rest of body. 

 West Indies, apparently not common, and not lately taken outside of 

 Cuba. It is possible that this species is the true Ophichthus opMs, but this 

 identification is not certain, {havannensis, living at Havana.) 



f Serpens marinns maculos)is, WiLLi'GHUY, Hist. Pise, tab. G 9, 1680, no locality. 



fMnrxna oxihis, LinN/T.us, x , 244, 1758, (after Willughisy) ; (may be identical with OpJdchOms reyius, 



a St. Helena species, likewise spotted with black). 

 Innominado, Parra, Dif. PiezasHist. Nat., pi. 37, fig. 2, 1787, Havana. 

 Murxna kavaniieiiKis, Bi.ocii & Schneider, Syst. Ich., 491, 1801, (after Parha). 

 f OiMturus gnltatus, Cuvier, Eegue Animal, 232, 1817, Surinam ; (after Bloch, pi. 154). 

 f Murtfiia maculosa, Cuvier, I. c, Surinam; (after Ojihisurns ophis, LAc£pfiDE, which is based on 



Bloch, pi. 154). 

 Ilerpetoichthys snlcatus, Kaup, Apodos, 8, fig. 5, (not 0), 1850, locality unknown. 

 Vranichlhijs brachycejiltalns, PoEY, Keperforio, II, 257, 1807, Cuba. 

 Vranichlhys Jiai^annensis, PoEY, Ilopertorio, ii, 257, 1806. 

 Ophichthys havannetms, GOntuer, Cat., viii, 67, 1870. 



