GENERA AND SPECIES. 75 



Ammodytes. Plate xix. OPHID1IDSE. 



145. lanceolatus, SAND EEL. Caudal with 15 rays, pectorals with 12 or 



13 rays; scales many ; fins of same height throughout ; 

 lower jaw with soft prolongation ; dorsal begins behind 

 tip of pectoral. 



146. tobianus, LESSER SAND EEL. Caudal with 15 rays ; pectorals 



with 12 rays; scales many; fins curved in outline; 

 dorsal begins above or before tip of pectorals. 



147. cicerellus, SMOOTH SAND EEL. Caudal with 19 rays; pectorals 



with 14 rays ; scales few or absent ; fins waved in out- 

 line ; dorsal begins over tip of pectorals. 



The Sand Eel has from 53 to 61 rays in its dorsal fin, 28 to 33 in 

 the anal fin, and 15 in the caudal ; the pectorals have 12 or 13 rays, 

 and there are no ventral fins. The anal starts from under the 

 middle of the dorsal or thereabouts, and both fins have their outer 

 edges parallel to the very slight curve of the body, and are separated 

 from the caudal by a short interspace. The scales are small, and 

 there are two lateral lines, one with from 190 to 203 scales, the other 

 being incomplete. The head is nearly flat on the top, the mouth 

 does not extend to the front edge of the eye, and the lower jaw is 

 the longer and has a long fleshy tip. Teeth are absent, but are 

 represented by two processes on the vomer. The Sand Eel is 

 greenish above and silvery below, with a bright stripe as a line of 

 demarcation. It is about a foot long, but has been caught measuring 

 over 15 inches. It is gregarious, and buries itself in the sand between 

 the tide-marks. 



The Lesser Sand Eel has from 53 to 59 rays in its dorsal fin, 26 

 to 30 in its anal fin, and 15 in its caudal ; the pectorals have 12 rays, 

 and there are no ventrals. The dorsal begins above the last third of 

 the pectorals, and gradually increases in height until it reaches the 

 middle, when it curves slightly downwards towards the tail. There 

 are two lateral lines, one incomplete and the other with from 125 to 

 145 scales. The lower jaw is the longer, and the mouth extends 

 backwards behind the nostrils. There are a few small teeth on the 

 vomer and on the base of the tongue. The colour is olive green 

 above and silvery below, with a bright stripe between. This species 

 also frequents the shore in shoals, and burrows in the sand between 

 the tide-marks. It measures about 6 inches in length. 



The Smooth Sand Eel has from 53 to 59 rays in its dorsal fin, 28 

 to 30 in its anal fin, and 19 in its caudal ; there are 14 rays in its 

 pectorals, and the ventrals are absent. The dorsal begins above 

 the tip of the ventral and curves downwards, upwards^ downwards, 

 and upwards again, and the anal curves inwards so as to be lowest 

 in the middle. The mouth extends to the eye, the lower jaw 

 slightly projecting. There are no teeth and few or no scales, and 

 consequently no lateral line. The brownish green of the back and 

 the white of the under parts are divided by a silvery stripe that 

 reaches from the eye to the tail. The only specimen caught in 

 British waters and that was off the Shetlands was 6 inches long. 



