Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 383 



627. OI'HICHTHUS RETROPINNIS (Eigenmaun). 



Sides of body with louiul whitish spots between darker areas; color 

 li'i-bt olivaceous, witli about 20 oblong dark blotches along the median line 

 of body and tail, the interspaces between these each a round pale spot 

 about as large as eye. Dorsal inserted 1^- length of pectorals behind the 

 tips of pectorals ; pectorals 2\ in distance from snout to their base; eye \\ 

 in snout, equal to interorbital space ; cleft of mouth 3 in head ; head 9 in 

 length; gill opening 5 in head; maxillary biserial; mandibular teeth uni- 

 serial ; vomer with about 15 teeth. Snapper Banks oft" Pensacola. Close 

 to 0. oceJlatns, but the dentition dift'erent. (retropinnis, having backward 

 fins.) 



Ophivlithys relro2)innis, EioENMANN, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus., 188T, 110, Snapper Banks off Pen- 

 sacola. (Type, No. 38054. Coll. Stearns.) 

 O^hichthus retropinnis, Jordan & Davis, I. c, 630. 



Subgenus MURiENOPSIS, Kaiip. 



628. OPHICHTHUS GUTTIFER (Bean & Dreeel). 



Teeth in both jaws biserial ; the teeth of the inner series sometimes 

 small and turned inward. Vomerine teeth in one row ; anterior teeth of 

 jaws or vomer sometimes a little enlarged. Dorsal beginning behind the 

 tip of the pectoral, at a distance equal to diameter of eye. Head 2f in 

 trunk, 4| in tail ; pectoral fin shorter than in ocellatus, 3i in head ; eye 1^ 

 in snout ; cleft of mouth 2i in head. Color very much as in ocellatus, but 

 paler; rather light brown above, pale below, with about 20 round pale 

 spots along the lateral line ; lower jaw and throat rather pale, dusted with 

 brown dots ; jjectoral pale, with a dusky border ; a line of small white 

 spots across the occiput, and a shorter but similar row on each side of 

 liead. Snapper Banks oft' Pensacola, Florida ; close to O. ocellatus, the 

 dentition the same, the dorsal farther back, {yutta, spot ; fvro, I bear.) 



Ophichthys gtiUifer, Bean & Dresel, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 1882, 100, Snapper Banks ; Jordan, 



Cat. Fish. N. A., 53, 1885. (Type, No. 32647. Coll. Stearns.) 

 Ophichlhus guitifer, Jordan & Davis, I. c, G30. 



629. OPHICHTHIS OCELLATUS (Le Sueur). 



Teeth in both jaws biserial, those in front a little enlarged; vomerine 

 teeth in one row. Dorsal fin beginning over or just before tip of x)ectoral. 

 Color rather dark brown above, lighter below, with about 20 round whit- 

 ish spots along the side, averaging more than half diameter of eye; dorsal 

 fin commencing over or a little before tip of pectoral, light-colored, with 

 a narrow dark margin ; anal light yellow ; a row of small white spots 

 across the top of head, sometimes coalescent into a band, and one or 

 more similar but shorter rows on each side of head ; pectoral decidedly 

 dusky ; jaws, throat, and chin dusted with brown dots. Vomer with 

 about 15 teeth, the anterior inclined to form a double series; tail |a 

 head's length longer than head and trunk ; head 2^ in trunk ; eye IJ in 

 snout ; snout 5^ in head ; cleft of mouth 2A in head ; pectoral 2J in head. 

 West Indian Fauna, south to Brazil, north to Pensacola; rather common, 

 (ocellatus, with eye-like spots.) 



