2486 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum, 



2853. LEPOPHIDIUM PARDALE (Gilbert). 



Head 5 in length; depth 8|; eye 3f in head; snout 4; interorbital 

 1 in eye. Body very slender, with a short head and small mouth; 

 maxillary scarcely reaching vertical from posterior border of orbit, 

 its length 2 in head ; outer teeth very little enlarged, not movable ; teeth 

 present on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Gill rakers slender, the longest | 

 eye, 4 developed. Tip of snout with a strong, concealed spine, as in L, 

 prorates. Opercle ending in a short spine. Nape midway between front 

 of dorsal and front of pupil ; dorsal beginning over middle of pectorals, 

 which are 2 in head; ventral filaments very short; the inner the longer, 

 4f in head. Scales very small, about 200 in a longitudinal series, extend- 

 ing forward on top of head to middle of interorbital space; cheeks and 

 opercles scaly. Light olive, a series of 8 black bars downward from back, 

 scarcely reaching lateral line, sometimes continuous with their fellows of 

 the other side, and alternating with smaller black spots on dorsal outline; 

 below the smaller spots a series of round spots nearly as large as eye along 

 middle line of sides; sides and lower parts of head and body dusted with 

 rather coarse black specks ; dorsal light, the margin with 10 elongate black 

 blotches, usually longer than the interspaces; caudal dusky at base, its 

 distal half white ; anal wholly black ; peritoneum and lining of gill cavity 

 white. Lower California. A single specimen, length 7| inches, from A Iba- 

 tross Station 3014, in 29 fathoms. (Gilbert.) (itdpdaXis, leopard.) 



Leptophidium pardale, GILBERT, Proc. TJ. S. Nat. Mus. 1890, 108, off Lower California. 

 (Type, No. 44382. Coll. Dr. Gilbert.) 



2854. LEPOPHIDIUM MICROLEPIS (Gilbert). 



Head 4f in length ; depth 7 to 8 ; eye 4 to 5 in head ; snout 5 ; inter- 

 orbital width 6|; maxillary extending beyond orbit, 2 to 2. Rostral 

 spine very strong, as in L. prorates. Outer teeth enlarged, not at all 

 movable, those in upper jaw largest. Four gill rakers developed, the 

 longest 3 in eye.* Opercle ending in a short concealed spinous point. 

 Dorsal inserted in front of middle of pectorals, the distance from nape to 

 front of dorsal usually less than from nape to middle of eye; longest ven- 

 tral filament % to 3| in length of head; pectorals 2J to 2| in head. Scales 

 exceedingly small, regularly imbricated, in about 250 transverse series, 35 

 transverse series between nape and dorsal (about 175 transverse rows in 

 L. prorates, 25 series between nape and dorsal). Top of head scaly as far 

 as front of eyes. Cheeks and opercles scaly. Color as in L. prorates, the 

 lining of peritoneum and gill cavity silvery white, the former with little 

 or no black specking. Closely related to L. prorates, differing principally 

 ' in the much smaller scales. Gulf of California. Many specimens, the 

 longest 14 inches, from Albatross Stations 3015 and 301B, in 145 and 76 

 fathoms. (Gilbert.) (/uxr/ads, small; hertis, scale.) 



Leptophidium microlepit, GILBERT, Proc. IT. S. Nat. Mus. 1890, 109, Gulf of California. 

 (Coll. Dr. Gilbert.) 



