REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [118] 



466.— ASTROSCOPUS ' Brevoort. 



1430. Aatroscopus anoplus Cuv. &yal. S. 



Family CXXXIV.— OPISTHOGNATHID^. (103 6.) 



467.— GNATHYPOPS Gill. (338 &.) 



1431. Gnathypopa rhomaleus^ Jordan & Gilbert. P. 



1432. Gnathypopa mystacinus^ Jordan. W. 



1433. Gnathypopa mazillosus Poey. W. 



468.— OPISTHOGNATHUS Cuv. & Val. (3396.) 



1434. Opiathognathus scaphiura Goodc & Bean. W. (977 c.) 



1435. Opiathognathus lonchura Jordan & Gilbert. W. (977 d.) 



1436. Opiathognathua punctata'* Peters. P. 



1 AsTROScoPUS Brevoort. 

 {Agnus Giinther.) 



( Brevoort MSS. ; Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1860, 20; type Uranoscopus anoplos. 

 C.&V.) 



This genus is distinguished from Up8ilonphoru8 chiefly by the armature of the head, 

 ■which is entirely covered above by a rugose coat of mail as inUranoscopva. In other 

 respects it agrees with Upsilovphorus, which should, perhaps, be regarded as a subge- 

 neric section of Astroacopus. One species known. 



Aslroscopus anoplus (Cuv. & Val.). 



Jet black above and on lower jaw and spinous dorsal ; belly and other fins whitish ; 

 top of head with no naked areas except at base of premaxillary ; cheeks covered with 

 smooth skin except the narrow suborbital and a long slender preorbital strip lying 

 along the maxillary. A transverse depression behind the eyes ; occipital ridges promi- 

 nent, bluntish. Humeral spine obsolete ; preopercle with two blunt processes, the 

 lower turned downwards and forwards. Scales minute, obsolete below ; no intralabial 

 filament. Head as broad as deep ; head 2} ; depth 3^. D. IV-14 ; A. 13. New York 

 to Key West. No specimens known more than 2^ inches in length. 



Uranoscopus anoplos C. & V., VIII, 4 93, 1831. Agnus a«oj>?«s Giinther, II, 229 (not 

 Astroscopus anoplus of most recent authors). 



^Opisthognathus rhomaleus Jordan & Gilltert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1881, 276. Gulf 

 of California. 



^ Gnathypops mystadnus Jordan, Pioc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884. 



* Opisthognathus punctatus Peters, Berliner Monatsberichte, 1869; Jordan, Proc. Ac. 

 Nat. Sci. Pbila., 1883, 290. Mazatlan. 



Head everywhere finely speckled with black, the body more coarsely and irregularly 

 spotted. Pectoral finely and closely speckled, its edge plain. Ventral fin dusky, 

 similarly marked. Dorsal without large black blotch, finely spotted, the spots behind 

 gradually forming the boundaries of white ocelli, the base of the fins having rings 

 of white around black spots, the upper part with dark rings around pale spots. 

 Caudal with pale spots, its edge, like that of the dorsal, .somewhat dusky, not black. 

 Anal with a broad, blackish edge, and with dark spots, those near the base of the 

 fin largest. Lining membrane of maxillary with the usual bands of white and inky 

 black. 



Scales very small, about 125 in lateral line. Dorsal spines continuous with the 

 soft rays. D. 28; A. 18. No vomerine teeth. Maxillary very long, extending slightly 

 beyond head. 



Only the type of this species is yet known. 



