898 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY — IV. 



Mouth large, the gape 2f in head. Eye moderate, 2 in snout, a little 

 behind the middle of the gape. Teeth pointed, fixed, those in jaws 

 biserial, those on vomer in one series. Pectoral 3^ in head; dorsal be- 

 ginning well in front of its tip. Tail a little longer than body. Pacific 

 (and Atlantic?) coast of Tropical America; abundant southward; north 

 to Southern California {fide Coo;per). 



{Muyce.nopsis triserialis Kaup, Apodes, 1856, 12: Herpetoiclithys callisoma Abbott, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1860,475: Ophisurus calif or niensis Garrett Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. iii, 66; Giinther, viii, 58.) 



Page 359. After OpMchthys triserialis add : 



5§3 {h). O. maci'urus Poey. 



Uniform light olive, the back closely punctate, but not dark ; fins all 

 pale, the dorsal and pectoral without dark shades. Body not very 

 slender. Head pointed, the upper jaw projecting. Eye large, more 

 than half snout, placed above middle of gape. Gape 2§ in head. 

 Teeth subequal, short, slender, and sharp, more or less directed back- 

 wards; all of theai biserial; no canines. Nasal tubes short, inconspic- 

 uous. Tail twice length of rest of body. Head slightly more than 

 half trunk, nearly 9 in total. Pectorals long, 2 J in head; dorsal begin- 

 ning opposite anterior third of pectoral; distance from snout to front 

 of dorsal 2^ in distance to vent. Gill-openings small, rather near to 

 gether. L. 15 inches. Cuba to Texas. Closely allied to 0. parilis 

 (Rich.), with which it is identified by Dr. Giinther; but that species 

 has very long nasal tubes. 



(Poey, Eepert. Fis. Nat. Cuba, ii, 256: Oxyodontiehthya macrurus Poey, Anal. Soc. 

 Hist. Nat. Esp. 1880, 254; Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882,260.) 



583 (c). O. chrysops Poey. 



Light olive-green; vertical fins edged with black; tip of pectoral 

 broadly dusky. Teeth all biserial, none of them very large or canine- 

 like. Head conical, the snout short but rather sharp. Mouth rather 

 large, its gape about 2f in head; jaws and top of head with numerous 

 dark-colored pores. Dorsal beginning a little before tip of pectoral. 

 Lateral line of rather coarse pores. Length of head and body about 

 2f times in total length. West Florida to Havana, in rather deep 

 water. The reproductive apparatus in this species in both sexes re- 

 sembles that of ordinary fishes, the ovaries in the female beiug very 

 large, with the eggs exceedingly numerous. 



(? Ophisurus gomeaii Castelnau, Auim. Am<5r. Sud. Poiss. 1855, 84, Rio Janeiro : ? Ophich- 

 thys gomesii Giinther, viii, 60: Ophisurus chrysops Poey, Mem. Cuba, ii, 321; Poey, 

 Syu. Pise. Cub. 1868, 425: Oxyodontichthya chryaopa Poey, Anal. Soc. Hist. Nat. Eap. 

 1880, 254.) 



