2304 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



854. DACTYLAGNUS, Gill. 



Dactylagnus, GILL, Proc. Ac. Xat. Sci. Phila. 1862, 505 (mundus) . 



Body moderately elongated, covered with rather large and uniform 

 scales. Head cuboid, oblong, scarcely convex transversely above. Eyes 

 small, directed obliquely upward, and situated near the snout on the 

 upper surface of the head. Interorbital area moderate and channeled. 

 Mouth very oblique or subvertical, the snout truncated in front; lower 

 jaw transversely convex in front and with no barbel; teeth acute, in a 

 narrow band along each jaw; palate smooth. Dorsal fin perfectly entire, 

 commencing rather farther behind than the anal, and with its anterior 

 portion armed with about 10 slender spines; anal fin longer than the 

 dorsal. This genus closely resembles Dactyloscopus externally. It differs 

 from the latter genus chiefly in the structure of the dorsal fin and the 

 well-developed pseudobranchiffi. (SdxrvA.o 1 -, finger; ayro$, Agnus, an 

 old name of Uranoscopus scaber.} 



2642. DACTYLAGNUS MUXDUS, Gill. 



Head 4f; depth 6^. D.X,31; A. II, 38; scales 2-48-10; eye 6 in head; 

 maxillary 2$ ; snout equals eye; highest dorsal spine 3; highest anal ray 

 2| ; pectoral equals head ; caudal If. Body elongate, compressed, taper- 

 ing posteriorly; upper profile of head nearly horizontal, slightly convex; 

 eyes superior, looking upward; interorbital narrow, concave; lower jaw 

 strongly projecting, mouth nearly vertical ; teeth small and conical, in nar- 

 row bands, widest in front; vomer and palatines toothless; lips furnished 

 with labial fringes about as long as diameter of eye; nostril ending in a 

 tube ; preopercle entire ; opercle fringed on its upper edge, a flap of skin 

 downward from opercle covers the branchiostegals ; pseudobranchirc pres- 

 ent; gill rakers not developed ; head and belly naked; fins naked. Lat- 

 eral line running near the back through 14 scales, deflected on 4, and 

 thence continued along the middle through 36. Dorsal low, long, and 

 continuous, distance from its origin to tip of snout 3f in body; anal 

 similar, slightly higher and longer; posterior rays of dorsal and anal 

 reaching to base of caudal rays; upper rays of pectoral the longest, 

 reaching to the vertical from tenth anal ray, the lower rays short, gradu- 

 ated, tip of fin slightly curved up ; origin of ventrals in front of pecto- 

 rals, the inner rays the longest, reaching about to vent; caudal truncate, 

 or very slightly rounded. Color in spirits, light brown above, white 

 below, each scale on back with a dark brown spot ; top of head with a 

 few brown spots; fins colorless. Length 4 inches. Gulf of California. 

 Here described from specimens collected by the Albatross at Carmen 

 Island, Gulf of California; the type from Cape San Lucas, (mundus, 

 neat.) 



Dactylagnus mundui, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1862, 505, Cape San Lucas. (Coll. 

 Xantus.) 



