280 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NOr/h AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY — lY. 



Mouth very wide; premaxillary not protractile, very long and strong, 

 more tLau half the length of the head; maxillary closel3^ connected 

 with it, very small or obsolete. Premaxillary with one or two series of 

 large, compressed, knife-shaped teeth, the inner and larger depressible. 

 Palatine teeth similar, smaller, in a single broad band. Lower jaw with 

 a band of rather large teeth, the inner and larger teeth depressible ; a 

 patch of strong, depressible teeth on the tongue in front, and a long 

 row along the hyoid bone. Jaws nearly equal. Eye rather large, 

 anterior. Supraorbital forming a projection above the eye. Pseudo- 

 branchiie well develoi)ed. Gill-rakers very small, spine-like. Gill- 

 membranes slightly connected. Top of head naked. Cheeks and oper- 

 cles scaled like the body. Body covered with rather small, adherent, 

 cycloid scales. Lateral line present. No phosphorescent spots. Dor- 

 sal fin short, rather anterior. Pectorals moderate, inserted high. Ven- 

 trals anterior, not far behind pectorals, large, the inner rays longer than 

 the outer. Anal short. Caudal narrow, forked. Branchiostegals 12-lC. 

 Stomach with a long, blind sac and many pyloric coeca. Skeleton rather 

 firm. Species numerous. Voracious fishes of moderate size, inhabiting 

 sandy bottoms at no great dei^th. In most warm seas. (^uvo'Jouc, ancient 

 name of some fish, from auvudouq^ teeth meeting, not shutting past each 

 other like scissors.) 



* Snout rather poiuted, lou<:;er than eye ; upper jaw the longer. (Synodus.) 

 463. S. f«BtCBiS (L.) Gill. — Sand Pike; Lizard-fish. 



Olivaceous; yellowish below; back ^mottled; upper surface of head 



brownish, distinctly vermiculated with yellowish; ventral fins, lower 



side of head, and inside of mouth tinged with yellow% Eye moderate, 



Skinhead. Scales less regularly a: ranged and the rows less oblique 



than in S. lucioceps ; those on the opercle in about 5 rows, on the cheeks 



in 7; 25-30 scales along back before dorsal, 4 in a vertical row between 



adipose tin and lateral line, 5 in an oblique row. Pectoral fin short, 



not reaching ventrals, its length three-fourths that of the premaxillary. 



Ventral large, its length from outer edge of base greater than from tip 



of snout to upper edge of gill-opening. Interorbital space considerably 



concave, with radiating ridges. Head 4^. B. 12; D. 11; A. 11; V. 8; 



scales 7-G4-S (the vertical rows counted obliquely). L. 12 inches. Cape 



Cod to South America; common southward. Not valued as food. 



{Salmo fastens L. Syst. Nat.: Saurus fatens Giinther, v, 39G: Saurua foctens Holbrook, 

 Ichth. S. Car. 187.) 



