FISHES OF WEST COAST OF PEEU. 149 



Family OPHIDIIDAE. 



THE CUSK EELS. 

 Genus GENYPTERUS Philippi. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



a\ Head 4.25 to 4.5 in total length. Back and sides dark chocolate hrown, 

 with a few light spots irregular in form and disposition; belly light of 

 color, washed with salmon hlarodes, 11.149. 



a\ Head 3.68 to 4 in total length. General color light chocolate brown, with 

 very conspicuous hieroglyphic-like white markings over entire body and 

 fins, these somewhat irregular in form and arrangement, but very char- 

 acteristic iu appearance chilensis, p. 150. 



180. GENYPTERUS BLACODES (Bloch and Schneider). 

 CONGKIO COLORADO. 



OpMdium blacodcs Bloch and Schneider, Syst. Ichth., 1810, p. 484. — 

 Cirv^EB, Regne Anim., ed. 2, vol. 2, 1829, p. 359. 



OpMdium hlancodes Tschudi, Fauna Peruana, Ichth., 1845, p. 29. 



Ophidiiim inaculatum Tschudi, Fauna Peruana, Ichth., 1845, pi. 5. 



Genypterus Uacodes Gxjnther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., vol. 4, 1862, p. 379. — 

 Deflin, Cat. Feces de Chile, 1901, p. 99. — Steindachnek, Herpet.- 

 ichthyol., Ergebnisse einer Reise nach Siidamerika, Denkschr. Akad. 

 Wiss. Wien, vol. 72, 1902, p. 47. — Delfin, Los Congrios de Chile, 

 p. 189, pi. 13, fig. 2; Rev. Chilena Hist. Nat, No. 3, Alio VII, June, 

 1903. 



Two specimens, field Nos. 09707-8, respectively, 51 and 46.5 cm. in 

 length, from Mollendo, taken with a trawl line in 46 fathoms not 

 far from shore. 



Head 4.25 to 4.5 in total length; depth 6.65 to 6.7; snout 4.25 to 

 4.6 in head ; postorbital part of head 1.5 ; eye 7.25 to 8.5 ; interorbital 

 5.1 to 6.65; breadth of head 2.2; pectoral 2.06 to 2.12; breadth of 

 pectoral base 4.6 to 4.8 ; maxillary 2.2 to 2.35. 



Body elongate, tapering, compressed, greatest depth over base of 

 pectoral; head elongate; snout blunt; lower jaw included; maxil- 

 lary reaching beyond posterior border of eye by a distance nearly 

 equal to its horizontal diameter; an enlarged outer row of stout, 

 slightly incurved canine-like teeth in jaws, behind these narrow 

 bands of smaller teeth, those in upper jaw in several rows in front, 

 narrowing to a single row posteriorly, those in lower jaw mainly 

 in one row ; an outer row of enlarged teeth on vomer and palatines, 

 similar to those on jaws; behind these an irregular row of smaller 

 teeth; eyes small, anterior in position; nostrils small, separated by 

 an interspace equ^l to one-half diameter of eye, the first provided 

 with a small flap. 



Distance from tip of snout to origin of dorsal 3.65 to 4 in total 

 length; dorsal and anal low, confluent with the caudal; ventrals 

 40656°— Bull. 95—17 11 



