Dec. 28, 1916. Fishes of Panama — Meek and Hildebrand. 333 



lateral line usually absent, never complete; scales large, extending 

 forward on head; dorsal fins 2, well separated, the first composed of 4 

 rather strong spines; second dorsal with one spine and from 7 to 10 soft 

 rays; caudal fin forked; anal fin with 2 or 3 spines and 7 to 11 soft 

 rays; ventral fins abdominal, each with one spine and 5 branched rays; 

 pectoral fins placed high. 



The genera Agonostomus and Joiurus comprise fresh water species 

 and are dealt with in the present paper. The marine species of this 

 family will be discussed in another work. 



KEY TO the genera. 



a. Snout scarcely in advance of upper Hp; teeth in lower jaw in a 

 continuous band; dorsal spines rounded, not prominently com- 

 pressed. Agonostomus, p. 333. 



aa. Snout projecting beyond upper lip; teeth in lower jaw in two 

 lateral patches, not confluent anteriorly; dorsal spines notably 

 compressed. Joiurus, p. 336. 



43. Genus Agonostomus Bennett. 



Agonostomus Bennett, Proc. Comm. Zool. Soc, I, 1831, 166 (type 



Agonostomus teljairii Bennett). 

 Neomugil Valliant, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, IV, 1894, 73 (type Neomugil 



digueti Valliant.) 



Body elongate, compressed; mouth terminal in young, subinferior 

 in adult, the cleft extending laterally to or past front of eye, the lower 

 lip not greatly thickened; teeth in bands on jaws, vomer and palatines, 

 those on jaws with lance-shaped apices or serrated margins; first dorsal 

 with 4 rounded spines; anal spines 2, the first one minute, often hidden 

 in the skin; stomach not gizzard-shaped. Inhabiting tropical rivers, 

 some of them living in mountain torrents. 



The American species of this genus have been described in current 

 works as having pointed teeth in the jaws. This is certainly not true 

 of the specimens at hand, either from Panama or Cuba. The outer 

 series in each jaw is mostly composed of lance-shaped teeth and the 

 inner ones nearly all have a serrated margin. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a. Body comparatively slender, the depth 3.7 to 3.85 in its length 

 in specimens about 150 mm. long; mouth rather small, the maxil- 

 lary reaching to or slightly past vertical from anterior margin of 

 eye. monticola, p. 334. 



