20 Papers from the Department of Marine Biology. 



must be referred to the family Moringuidse. This family up to that time had 

 not been known to be represented in American Avaters. 



A careful comparison has been made with a specimen of A. carihheus col- 

 lected at San Juan by Professor Conklin, These two species are very closely 

 related, but A. mayeri may be distinguished at once by its striking color. 

 The type was kept alive for more than two weeks in an aquarium at Guanica 

 and during this period no color changes could be noted; in spirits A. carih- 

 heus is much darker in color; microscopic examination shows many more 

 cliromatophores. The grooves for the dorsal and anal fins, so well marked in 

 A. carihheus, are very little evident in A. mayeri. 



Two specimens of this beautiful little eel were obtained on the sand fiats 

 around mangrove swamp west of Guanica Harbor at very low tide. 



Type, No. 3073, Zoological Museum, Princeton University; 310 mm. long. 



Paratype, No. 3126, Zoological Museum, Princeton University; 28 cm. long. 



Named for Dr. Alfred G. Mayer, director of the expedition. 



MYROPHIS. 

 Myrophis longleii sp. nov. Plate 2, fig. 1. 



Head 3.5 in trunk, 5.7 in tail. Depth of body at gill-opening 3.3 in head. 

 Upper jaw projecting; teeth sharp, more or less irregular on maxilla and 

 vomer, indicating two series; series more or less single on mandible. Eyes 

 rather high. Interorbital space 1.5 times eye. Snout broad. Eye 1.5 in 

 breadth of snout between anterior nostrils, 2.5 in snout. Tail compressed. 

 Body slightly compressed. Greatest width of head greater than body behind 

 gill-opening. Vertebrae, abdominal 53, caudal about 100. Ribs developed. 

 No neural spines. Vertical fins well developed; dorsal beginning two-thirds 

 length of head in front of vent, anal beginning directly behind vent; both 

 continuous into caudal, which is wider and completely surrounds end of tail. 

 Anterior nostril tube-like, near end of snout; large pore above this on top of 

 snout. Posterior nostril in upper lip. 



Color in fife, hght olive-green with very fine punctation above, lighter below. 



Type, No. 3083, Zoological Museum, Princeton University. Length, 12 cm. 



Dug from sand fiats west of Guanica Harbor, 



Named for Dr. W. H, Longley. 



OPHICHTHYID^. 

 Myrichthys kecki sp. nov. Plate 2, fig. 2. 



Head 4 in trunk, 9.5 in total length; eye 3 in snout, snout 4.6 in head. 

 Teeth more or less blunt in single series; vomerine teeth present. Pectoral 

 small, as wide as gill-opening, but very short and rudimentary. Isthmus 

 about 3 times width of gill-opening. Numerous pores on top of head and on 

 lower jaw; large round pore on center of opercle. Anterior nostril near end of 

 snout in large tube which pro j ects downward . Posterior nostril under eye in lip . 

 Dorsal well developed, begins on nape and extends to near tip of tail ; anal very 

 low, beginning directly behind vent and extending to near tip of tail. Tail 

 projecting very little beyond dorsal and anal. Branchial chamber rather large. 



Color in life light transparent brownish-green, darker above, series of about 

 20 clusters of darker spots along lateral line, hardly distinguishable in life. 

 This specimen shows different color-markings from other members of this 

 genus, but is no doubt a young specimen and therefore little importance can 

 be laid on the color, which is so subject to change with the growth of the indi- 

 vidual. The relative measurements and proportions warrant classifying it 

 as a new species. 



