360 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum* 



pupil; in old examples the teeth, especially those on the vomer, are often 

 so worn that their original form is not at all evident ; head 2 in trunk, 3f 

 in tail ; pectoral fin 2 in the distance between the tip of snout and the base 

 of the fin or rather more than half length of head; eye 2i in the snout, \\ 

 in interorbital width, 3| in cleft of mouth, situated a little behind middle 

 of gape; cleft of mouth 2 in the head; gill openings large, containing the 

 isthmus twice; dorsal beginning over the gill openings. Olive-brown 

 above, dull-whitish below; dorsal and anal light brown with a dark 

 margin; caudal and pectoral fins black. Length 2 or 3 feet. Cape San 

 Lucas to the coast of Columbia, generally common. Very close to the 

 next, the difference in dentition evident only in the young, (conus, 

 cone ; -cep8 t head.) 



Murienesox coniceps, JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. MUB., 1881, 348, Mazatlan ; JORDAN & 

 DAVIS, I.e., 648. (Type, No. 28136. Coll. Gilbert.) 



589. MURJENESOX SAVANNA (Cuvier). 



Median series of teeth on vomer distinctly tricuspidate in the young, 

 becoming entire with age, with nearly even surface, thus : ^ ; pectoral as 

 long as maxillary, 2 in head ; eye 2 in snout, which is 4| in head ; dorsal 

 inserted over the gill opening. Brown above, silvery below ; dorsal and 

 anal edged with black. Otherwise as in M. coniceps. Cuba to Rio Janeiro, 

 not common, occasional in the Mediterranean Sea, (Eu.) (Called a Sa- 

 vanne" in Martinique.) 



Mursena savanna, CUVIER, Regne Animal, Ed. 2, Vol. 2, 350, 1829, Martinique ; BENNETT, Proc. 



Comm. Zool. Soc., 135, 1831. 



Conger brasiliensis, RANZANI, Nov. Spec. Pise. Diss. Prima., iv, 17, pi. 13. fig. 1, 1838, Brazil. 

 Congrus curvidens, RICHARDSON, Voy. Erebus & Terror, 111, 1844, no locality. 

 Cynoponlicus fefox, COSTA, Fauna Napoli, Pesc., pi. 28, 1854, Naples. 

 Conger limbalus, CASTELNAU, Anim. Am. Sud, 83, pi. 43, fig. 3, 1855, Rio Janeiro. 

 Brachyconger savanna, BLEEKER, Atlas des Murenes Indes Orient, iv, 20, 1864. 

 Mursenesox savanna, GONTHER, Cat., vin, 47, 1870 ; JORDAN & DAVIS, I. c., 648. 



159. XENOMYSTAX, Gilbert. 



Xenomystax, GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, 348, (atrariw). 



Scaleless ; pectorals well developed ; vertical fins large, continuous 

 around the tail, the rays evident; dorsal beginning before base of pector- 

 als. Gill slits vertical and rather wide, the gill membrane continuous 

 below the throat. Branchiostegals apparently 11 or 12 in number, long 

 and much curved, continuing around the posterior and upper edges of the 

 opercles ; mouth with wide lateral cleft, not extending far beyond eye ; 

 maxillaries very wide, not extending far forwards, the clasping processes 

 applied to shaft of vomer well behind its head. Teeth all conical, slender, 

 and sharp, mostly depressible, those in jaws in wide bands; maxillary 

 with a deep lengthwise groove running the entire length of the bone and 

 dividing the band of teeth into two portions ; lower jaw much shorter 

 than upper. Posterior nostril a linear slit, midway between eye and tip 

 of snout; the anterior in a short tube just behind the head of vomer; 

 tongue small, with the tip free ; lips undeveloped ; the lateral line con- 

 spicuous. One species, (#vof, strange; /uvara^ maxilla.) 



