﻿[55] 
  

  

  CATALOGUE 
  OF 
  THK 
  PISHES 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA. 
  843 
  

  

  180.— 
  MURiENESOX 
  1 
  McClelland. 
  

  

  635. 
  Mureenesoz 
  coniceps 
  Jordan 
  & 
  Gilbert. 
  P. 
  

  

  181.— 
  CONGER- 
  Cuvier. 
  (174) 
  

  

  636. 
  Conger 
  conger 
  Linn. 
  >-n-. 
  N. 
  S. 
  W. 
  En. 
  P. 
  (088) 
  

  

  637. 
  Conger 
  caudicula 
  Bean. 
  W. 
  58c 
  b. 
  

  

  Family 
  LX.— 
  ANGUILLID^. 
  

  

  182.— 
  ANGUILLA 
  Thunberg. 
  (173) 
  

  

  638. 
  Anguilla 
  anguilla 
  rostrata 
  !)<■ 
  Kay. 
  V. 
  N. 
  S. 
  W. 
  (587) 
  

  

  vomer 
  with 
  bands 
  of 
  cardiform 
  teeth, 
  tbose 
  along 
  the 
  median 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  vomer 
  being 
  

   somewhat 
  the 
  larger. 
  Vertical 
  fins 
  well 
  developed, 
  the 
  dorsal 
  commencing 
  behind 
  

   gill 
  opening; 
  no 
  pectorals. 
  Gill 
  openings 
  moderate. 
  Nostrils 
  on 
  npper 
  surface 
  of 
  

   head, 
  valvular, 
  the 
  anterior 
  near 
  end 
  of 
  snour. 
  the 
  posterior 
  above 
  anterior 
  angle 
  of 
  

   eye. 
  Air 
  bladder 
  present. 
  (Nettcc, 
  duck 
  ; 
  ctona, 
  rnouth.) 
  

  

  Nettaatoma 
  procerum 
  Goode 
  & 
  Bean. 
  

  

  Body 
  extremely 
  elongate, 
  compressed, 
  especially 
  so 
  posteriorly, 
  the 
  tail 
  tapering 
  to 
  a 
  

   very 
  attenuate 
  point. 
  Head 
  slender, 
  conical, 
  the 
  jaws 
  somewhat 
  depressed, 
  the 
  upper 
  

   heavier 
  and 
  thicker, 
  projecting 
  beyond 
  the 
  lower 
  a 
  distance 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  diameter 
  of 
  

   the 
  eye. 
  Numerous 
  pores 
  on 
  both 
  jaws 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  nape. 
  Snout 
  with 
  a 
  slender 
  fila- 
  

   mentous 
  tip, 
  twice 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  eye. 
  Teeth 
  arranged 
  as 
  in 
  X. 
  melanurum, 
  but 
  excess- 
  

   ively 
  small. 
  Dorsal 
  commencing 
  above 
  gill 
  opening. 
  Insertion 
  of 
  anal 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  

   from 
  snout 
  equal 
  to 
  3§ 
  times 
  length 
  of 
  head. 
  Tail 
  twice 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  head 
  and 
  body. 
  

   Lateral 
  line 
  well 
  developed, 
  in 
  a 
  deep 
  furrow. 
  Height 
  of 
  dorsal 
  and 
  anal 
  about 
  half 
  

   depth 
  of 
  body, 
  brownish: 
  peritoneum 
  black. 
  (Gulf 
  Stream, 
  in 
  deep 
  water, 
  at 
  about 
  

   lat. 
  34°. 
  (Goode 
  $ 
  Bean.) 
  

  

  (Goode 
  & 
  Bean, 
  Bull. 
  Mus.Comp. 
  Zool., 
  1882, 
  224.) 
  

  

  1 
  Muk^exesox 
  McClelland. 
  

   ( 
  !jnoponticii8 
  Costa.) 
  

  

  Form 
  of 
  Conger: 
  Body 
  scaleless; 
  snout 
  long; 
  posterior 
  nostrils 
  opposite 
  upper 
  part 
  

   of 
  eye: 
  tongue 
  not 
  free; 
  jaws 
  with 
  several 
  series 
  of 
  small, 
  close-set 
  teeth, 
  with 
  ca- 
  

   nines 
  in 
  front; 
  vomer 
  with 
  several 
  series 
  of 
  strong 
  teeth, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  mediau 
  series 
  

   enlarged 
  and 
  usually 
  compressed; 
  gill 
  openings 
  wide; 
  pectorals 
  well 
  developed; 
  dorsal 
  

   beginning 
  above 
  the 
  gill 
  opening, 
  continuous 
  with 
  the 
  anal 
  around 
  the 
  tail. 
  Large 
  

   eels 
  of 
  the 
  tropical 
  seas. 
  

  

  Muramesox 
  coniceps 
  Jordan 
  & 
  Gilbert, 
  Proc. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Bins., 
  1881, 
  348. 
  Mazatlan 
  

   to 
  Panama. 
  

  

  * 
  3 
  The 
  name 
  Conger 
  should 
  probably 
  be 
  retained 
  for 
  this 
  genus. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  

   to 
  be 
  entirely 
  certain 
  that 
  Leptocephalus 
  rnorrisi 
  is 
  a 
  larval 
  Conger. 
  Eehelus 
  Rafinesqne 
  

   (1810) 
  is 
  based 
  in 
  part 
  on 
  Congers, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  typical 
  species 
  remain 
  

   unidentified. 
  

  

  3 
  Mr. 
  S. 
  E. 
  Meek 
  (Bull. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Comm., 
  1>j83, 
  430), 
  after 
  a 
  careful 
  comparison 
  of 
  

   American 
  and 
  European 
  eels, 
  concludes 
  that 
  "in 
  American 
  specimens 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  is 
  

   proportionately 
  farther 
  from 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  snout, 
  making 
  the 
  distance 
  between 
  front 
  of 
  

   dorsal 
  and 
  front 
  of 
  anal 
  a 
  little 
  shorter 
  than 
  in 
  European 
  specimens. 
  Otherwise 
  no 
  

   permanent 
  difference 
  seems 
  to 
  exist. 
  We 
  should 
  not, 
  therefore, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  the 
  two 
  as 
  distinct 
  species, 
  but 
  rather 
  as 
  geographical 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   species." 
  

  

  In 
  A. 
  rostrata, 
  according 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Meek, 
  the 
  distance 
  fiom 
  tip 
  of 
  snout 
  to 
  front 
  of 
  

   dorsal 
  is, 
  on 
  an 
  average, 
  .33J 
  of 
  the 
  length; 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  front 
  of 
  dorsal 
  to 
  front 
  

   of 
  anal, 
  .09f, 
  or 
  less 
  than 
  length 
  of 
  head 
  (.12£). 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  European 
  Anguilla 
  anguilla 
  the 
  first 
  distance 
  is 
  . 
  30-J-, 
  the 
  second, 
  .13$-, 
  or 
  a 
  

   little 
  more 
  than 
  length 
  of 
  head 
  (.13J-). 
  Cuban 
  specimens 
  (Anguilla 
  cubana 
  Kaup) 
  

   agree 
  fully 
  with 
  A. 
  rostrata. 
  as 
  also 
  Texan 
  ones 
  (Anguilla 
  "tyratmus" 
  or 
  " 
  texana"). 
  

  

  Probably 
  our 
  eel 
  should 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  subspecies 
  (rostrata) 
  of 
  A. 
  anguilla. 
  

  

  