THE SHORE FISHES OF PERU 143 



slitlike, with a well-raised membrane on outer edge and a very low 

 one on inner edge; no papilla on lip betw^een nostrils; gill openings 

 somewhat longer than snout, about equal to space between them 

 ventrally; dorsal and anal fins in rather prominent grooves, rather 

 broad and with definite rays, origin of dorsal over tip of pectoral, 

 distance anterior to its origin, 5.1 to 5.8 in length anterior to vent; 

 pectoral moderately long, 2.3 to 2.8 in head. 



Color of specimens in alcohol many years, uniform grayish brown. 



The foregoing description is based on three specimens, 320, 385, 

 and 452 mm. long, taken by the Wilkes Expedition. Two of these 

 specimens are registered m the U. S. National Museum (No. 83369) as 

 questionably from Peru; the third, and largest one (No. 83384), is 

 registered as from Peru without question, but without a definite 

 locality. I have also examined a specimen 480 mm. long from Co- 

 quimbo, Chile (U. S. N. M. No. 36931). It seems to have been 

 taken in Peru by only one recent collector (see reference to Nichols 

 and Murphy above), who found a specimen dead on a sandy beach 

 at the head of Independencia Bay. 



This eel is related to 0. pacifici, from which it differs principally 

 in the shape and length of the head and in the arrangement of the 

 teeth in the low^er jaw, as shown in the description. 



Range. — Coasts of Peru and Chile. 



Family BELONIDAE: Houndfishes; Needlefishes; Garfishes 



Body very elongate, slender, compressed or not; both jaws greatly 

 produced, forming a beak; maxillary united with premaxillary ; jaws 

 with a band of minute pointed teeth, and a row of large teeth; 

 scales small; lateral line low, running along side of belly, becoming 

 midlateral on caudal peduncle; dorsal and anal fins more or less 

 opposite each other; no finlets. 



Genus STRONGYLURA Van Hasselt, 1823 



Body little, if at all compressed; gill rakers obsolete; dorsal and 

 anal fins elevated anteriorly. 



A single species is known from Peru. 



STEONGYLURA STOLZMANNI (Stelndachner) 



Picuda; Aguja 



Belone stolzmanni Steindachner, 1878, p. 21, Tumbes, Peru (original descrip- 

 tion based on a specimen 470 mm. long). 



Tylosurus stolzmanni Evermann and Radcliffe, 1917, p. 43 (references). — 

 Nichols and Murphy, 1922, p. 506, Lobos de Tierra Island, Peru (a speci- 

 men from the stomach of a pelican). — Meek and Hildebrand, 1923, p. 228, 

 Panama Bay (synonymy; description; range). 



Head 3.1; depth 22, or 7.0 in head; D. 14; A. 18; P. 11; V. 7. 

 Body rather slender, not much deeper than wide at base of ventrals; 

 caudal peduncle notably wider than deep, its depth 4.35 in postorbi- 



