108 BULLETIN 189, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



number of fin rays. However, according to Garman's description and 

 figure (no specimens being available for comparison), the fish herein 

 described is much slenderer, the head is longer, the eye smaller, the 

 dorsal is farther back on the body, the ventrals are farther forward, 

 and the caudal fin seems to be proportionately shorter. Garman 

 (1899, p. 242) gave: Head 4.0 and depth 6.0 "in total length"; eye 

 2.85 in head ; origin of dorsal equidistant from snout and base of caudal, 

 though indicated as somewhat farther back in the figure ; ventrals about 

 equidistant from nostril and base of caudal, and according to the figure 

 they are inserted notably less than an eye's diameter in advance of 

 dorsal; and the caudal fin was described as nearly as long as head. 

 The very slender body and the posterior position of the dorsal ap- 

 parently separate this new form, also, from V. attenuata (Cocco) 

 from the Atlantic, as well as the other species of the genus. Gilbert 

 (1908, p. 237) suggested that the various forms already described 

 might prove to constitute "a variable and widespread species for 

 which the name attenuata must be used." However, in the absence 

 of such proof it seems advisable to name and describe this very slender 

 form from Peru, as it does not come within the range of variability of 

 those already described. 



Range. — Known only from off northern Peru, at latitude 7°47' S., 

 longitude 80°32' W. 



Family SYNODONTIDAE: Lizardfishes 



Body elongate, little if at all compressed; mouth very large, entire 

 margin of upper jaw formed by premaxillaries ; maxillaries if present 

 closely adherent to premaxillaries; gill membranes nearly or quite 

 separate; branchiostegal rays usually numerous; teeth generally 

 pointed, present in both jaws, on palatines, and on tongue; scales 

 usually present, cycloid; lateral line present; alimentary canal short; 

 air bladder small or wanting; dorsal and anal fins moderate or short, 

 with soft rays only; caudal forked. 



A single genus comes within the scope of the present work. Most 

 of the species inhabit sandy shores. 



Genus SYNODUS Gronovius, 1763 



Body elongate, more or less rounded, the peduncle usually some- 

 what compressed; head depressed, the bones of upper surface more or 

 less rugose; snout variously pointed, triangular if viewed from above, 

 as long as or longer than eye; interorbital generally slightly concave; 

 mouth large, oblique, bordered above by the long premaxillaries; 

 rudimentary maxillary closely connected with premaxillary; teeth 

 in 1 or 2 series in upper jaw, unequal in size, compressed, pointed, 

 some of them depressible, a band of similar teeth in lower jaw and on 

 palatines, also present on tongue and basibranchials (the number of 



