ART. 33. NOTES ON FISHES OF HAWAII E. K. JORDAN 5 



middle line of the posterior portion of vomer, the remainder of the 

 roof of the mouth being bare. The vertical fins arc well developed, 

 and the body is variously mottled rather than barred. In this sec- 

 tion belongs also Gymnotliorax catenatus Bloch, a West Indian form 

 with similar dentition, the type of Poecilophis Kaiip, a synonym of 

 Echidna. For these species the name Echidna should of course be 

 retained. 



LEIHALA E. K. Jordan, new genus 



{Type. — Poecilophis tritor Vaillant and Sauvage=^c7i,/(7na leihala Jenkins.) 



The second group of species, hitherto placed under Echidna, is 

 distinguished by an extreme development of molars in the roof of 

 the mouth. Lateral teeth and anterior canines similar to these of 

 Echidna nehulosa/ posterior part of the roof of the mouth, how- 

 ever, covered by a broad plaque of rounded, pebble-like teeth in 5 to 

 10 series; in youth somewhat fewer series are developed than in old 

 age ; however, even in very young specimens (typical Echidna 

 leihala Jenkins) the whole width of the palate is covered by molars; 

 anterior part of vomer supporting two or three conic but sharp 

 canines, these apparentlj^ lost v/ith age, in L. tritor at least; vertical 

 fins well developed; bodj^ finely speckled, often more or less barred 

 with black. 



LEIHALA TRITOR (VaiUant and Sauvage). 



Plate 1, figs. 1, 2 



{Echidna leiliala Jenkins.) 



A fine specimen of this species, about 3 feet in length, and very 

 much larger than any examined by Jenkins, was obtained in the 

 Honolulu market. Teeth as in the genus, the lateral teeth above in 

 but one series, the plate of vomerine teeth very large, in many 

 (8 to 10) series. Ground color of body gray, finely flecked, speckled, 

 dusted and reticulate all over with purplish brown ; belly, back, head 

 and fins all colored and shaded alike, no vestige of bars anywhere 

 in life or after preservation in spirits. Angle of mouth slightly 

 darker. In Jenkins's types of Echidna leihala, very much smaller, 

 a few crossbars appear toward the base of the tail. Otherwise, his 

 small specimens do not differ from our large one, nor apparently 

 from Poecilophis tritor, also described from the Hawaiian Islands. 



LEIHALA ZONATA (Fowler). 



Certainly distinct from L. tritor, though similar in generic char- 

 acteristics, the vomerine patch narrower, are the following alleged 

 species, all described from Hawaii and all closely related : Echidna 

 zonata Fowler {—E. vincta Jenkins), E. psalion Jenkins, E. ohscura 

 Jenkins, E. zonophaea Jordan and Evermann and E. sauvagei 



