240 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. . vol. 56. 



HOLOPTERUKA PLUMBEA Cope. 



Holopterura plumbea Cope. Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. Phila.. (2) vol. 14, 1871' 

 p. 482. West Africa. 



Head, 8; depth, 32 1; snout, 6| in head; eye, 9|; maxiUary, 3|; 

 interorbital, 8; mandible, 2i; pectoral, 6; about 114? pores distinct 

 in lateral line; head, 3f to vent. Compressed, elongate, sides rather 

 flattened, and tail gi*adually tapers behind but not acuminate at tip. 

 Head moderately compressed; pharynx scarcely swollen, profiles 

 similar; width, 4^ its length; depth, 3f. Snout conic; upper profile 

 and surface convex; basal width, 1| its length; tip projecting well 

 beyond mandible. Eye large, rather ellipsoid, without eyelid, center 

 trifle before first fifth in head. Mouth large, broad, horizontal, or 

 but slightly inclined. Lips fleshy, entu'e, rather thick. Teeth conic, 

 sharp pomted, mostly directed back, moderate in size, not continu- 

 ous above with premaxillary or vomerine series. Upper lateral 

 teeth biserial. Mandibular teeth similar, continuous across sym- 

 physis. Several rather large premaxillary teeth, visible from below 



Fio. 9. — Holopterura plumbea Cops 



in closed mandible. Vomerine teeth like upper laterals, beginning 

 just behind front nostril, biserial, conic, slope backward and anterior 

 little enlarged. Most all teeth little larger antei iorly in jaws. Tongue 

 not evident. Mandible shallow; surface rathei depressed, rami low. 

 Front nostril in small tube on upper lip opposite closed mandible tip. 

 Hind nostril deep slit in upper Up opening downward below front 

 eye edge. Interorbital convex. Gill-opening inclined in crescent 

 from opposite upper median pectoral rays obliquely back, about equals 

 eye. Skin rather smooth, with more or less distinct longitudinal 

 wrinkles on lowei sm'face of head and pharynx. Pores on head little 

 evident. Lateral line begins above on head little before middle in 

 latter's length, slightly elevated at fu*st along side of trimk, soon 

 median, ends short space before tail tip. Dorsal origin distant from 

 giU-opening, equals space between gill-opening and front eye edge; 

 fin low, continuous with low caudal behind. Caudal length about 

 three-fom-ths in eye. Anal, like dorsal, joins caudal behmd. Pec- 

 toral small, upper ray longest. Vent close before anal. Color in 

 alcohol largely brownish, obscm'ely dotted with darker. Head above 



