DISCUSSION OF SPECIES AND TIIEIK DrSTKIBUTION. 345 



Family OPHIDIIDyE. 



(Ill OJUlini, Rafixesque, Indice d Ittioloj^ia Sicilian;!,, ISIO, 34. 



Ophidiifhi; BoNAPAiiTH, Saggio, etc., 1832, 38; Cat. Mut., 41.— Gi'ntiier, (:at. Fisli. Brit. Miis., iv, 370 (part).— 



Gill, Arr. Fam. Fish., 1872, 3 (No. 19); I'roo. Acad. Nat. Sci. I'Lila., 1887, 177. 

 Ophidioninw, Swain.son, Nat. Hist. Fisli., etc., 183!l, n, 17"J. 

 OplMiiii, MiiLi.nu, Berl. Abliandl., 1840. 

 Ophidiouh'i, Br.EEKER, Teataincii, xxv (part). 



Oplii(lioidea,witli chin veiitials, represented by hilid, barbel like filainents, and tlmauns 

 iu the anterior half of the length. (Gill.) 



KEY TO THE GENERA OF OPIIIDIID.F.. 



A. Outer teeth in jaws fixed. 



1. Ojierculum unarmed fOrninii'M] 



2. A sharp concealed sjiiue ou the <)|)erculuu\ Oroi'iimti'M 



B. Outer teeth iu jaws movable. Top of head scaly Lei'TOI'IIHUI m 



OTOPHIDIUM, Gill. 



Ceniiplrnifi, PiiiLLiPi. Wiegm. Archiv., 18.57, 2()8. 

 Otophhiiuiii, Gill,, iu Jordan, Cat. Fish, N. A., 18S.5, 126. 



A genus with characters of Ophidium, and also provided w itii a short <-oneeal<'(l spine 

 on the oiiercle. 



OTOrillDIITM OMOSTKiMA, (.Iori.an and Gii.iskiit), .Ii>r!i)AN. (Figure 30.-..) 



Gcnypicrus omoRlii/ma, .Jouuan and Giliieht, Proe. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 301; Bull, xvi, U. S. Nat. Mus , 



963. 

 Otophidhtm omonlif/mn, .Jordan, Cat. Fisli, N. A., 1885, 126. 



Body comparatively short, highest at occii)ut; thence tapering rapidly to tip of tail; 

 upper profile of head very convex; snout blunt; mouth horizoiital, the lower Jaw included; 

 maxillary not quite reaching posterior border of orbit; teetii in Jaws unil'orni, strongly in 

 curved, in rather broad bands; a single series of small t(H>th in vomer; thoseon ])alatines 

 minute; maxillary IJ in head ; eye large, 3 in head, much larger than snout, equaling twice 

 interorbital width; opercle terminating in a strong, compressed spine, the length of which 

 is about two-thirds diameter of pupil; gill-rakers very small, 4 below on anterior arch. 

 Longest ventral filament half length of head; the shorter three-quarters length of longer. 

 Distance from origin of dorsal to tip of snout 3.^ in total length ; distance from origin of 

 anal to sn(mt lii in total length. Scales minute, imbedded. Pseudobrancliiie not evident. 

 Air bladder short, thick, with a large ])()sterior foramen. Head 4;\ in length ; dc])th al)out 0. 



Color light olive-green, silvery on belly, cheeks, ami lower side of head; sides ai)ove 

 with a few irregular, large, scattered, dark blotches; about 9 of these aloTig base of dorsal 

 fin; an intensely black, round blotch on scapular region, rather larger than i)upil; dorsal 

 with black blotches; anal largely blai^k; upper half of eye black, lower half bright silvery. 



A single specimen, 3^ inches long (No. 21)070, U. S. Xat. Mus.), taken from the stomach 

 of a red snapper, at Pensacola. 



LEPTOPHIDIUM, Gill. 



Leptophidium., Gill, Proc. Phil. Acad. N.at. Sci., 1863, 210. 



Body much elongated, moderately compressed, and with the back and abdominal regions 

 arched, more compressed and slowly decrea.sing in height backward to an abrui)tly rounded 

 point. 



Anus toward the end of the first tliird of the length. 



Scales regularly imbricated in (piincunx, oval, with the nucleus in front of (he center, 

 and with stri;e radiating backward. 



Lateral Hue concurrent with and n(>.ar the back for about half the length, obsolescent 

 behind. 



