THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. L17 
Genus Synopus Bloch and Schneider. 
The Lizard Fishes. 
Synodus foetens (Linnzus). 
PLATE 9. 
Lizard Fish. Soury. Frost Fish. 
Head 4; depth 7%; D. m1, 11; A. 1, 10; scales 56 in lateral 
line to base of caudal; 6 scales between dorsal and lateral line; 6 
scales between lateral line and ventral; snout 3% in head; eye 
634; maxillary 15/,; interorbital space 534; base of dorsal 2% ; 
base of anal 15%; upper caudal lobe 1°/,; pectoral 2% ; ventral 
1%; least depth of caudal peduncle 414. . Body slender, cylin- 
drical, tapering posteriorly. Head attenuate, depressed. Snout 
pointed, depressed, protruding beyond mandible. Eye circular, 
anterior and encroaching a little on profile above. Mouth wide. 
Premaxillaries not protractile, with 2 series of knife-shaped com- 
pressed large teeth, inner depressible. Patch of strong depressible 
teeth on tongue anteriorly, and a long row along hyoid bone.’ 
Interorbital space broad and concave. Gill-rakers minute. Rows 
of scales rather irregular and moderately oblique. Cheek with 
7 rows, 26 before dorsal, and 5 between adipose fin and lateral 
line. Dorsal inserted nearer tip of snout than base of caudal. 
Adipose fin inserted midway between tip of depressed dorsal and 
base of caudal. Anal inserted a little nearer tip of ventral than 
base of caudal. Caudal deeply forked, lobes pointed sharply. 
Least depth of caudal peduncle a trifle more than half its length. 
Pectoral short, rounded, about 44 of space to ventral or about 
midway between tip of snout and origin of anal. Color sandy- 
gray, pale yellowish below. Back mottled, and head above ver- 
miculated. Ventrals, inside and lower side of mouth, tinged 
yellowish. Fins otherwise pale grayish. Length 7% inches. 
Atlantic City. 
A slender species with saurian aspect darting about on sandy 
shoals which has earned the name lizard fish. At the above 
