Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 361 



690. XENOMYSTAX ATRARIUS, Gilbert. 



Snout very long and slender ; end of maxillary equidistant from tip of 

 mandible and gill opening ; front of orbit over the beginning of last third 

 of gape ; long slit-like pores on margin of upper jaw, a conspicuous series 

 on mandible and preopercle ; teeth in jaws in wide bands, mostly depres- 

 sible ; maxillary teeth divided by a deep groove running entire length of 

 jaw, those on inner side of groove long, close-set, rigid, in single series; 

 mandible with much narrower and shallower groove, on the inner edge of 

 which is a single series of very small conical teeth, directed inwards ; tip 

 of mandible enlarged to form a knob which fits into a toothless depression 

 just behind head of vomer, the vomer extending well beyond the tip of 

 lower jaw ; teeth on head of vomer and knob of mandible similar, slightly 

 larger than those of side of jaw ; anterior part of shaft of vomer with 

 median series of strong conical teeth, accompanied by smaller lateral 

 series and followed by a narrower band of very small conical teeth. Head 

 equal to trunk and i of tail ; gill openings broadly lunate, vertical length 

 of slit i of snout, interspace f- length of slit; pectorals narrow, \ snout. 

 Color very dark brown ; fins black ; pores of lateral line white. (Gilbert.) 

 Coast of Ecuador, at Albatross station 2792, in 401 fathoms, (atrarius, 

 blackish.) 



Xenowyxtax atrarius, GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1891, 348, Lat. i S., Long. 81 W. (Coll. 

 Gilbert.) 



160. HOPLUNNIS, Kaup. 



Hoplunnis, KAUP, Aale Hamburg Museum, 19, 1859, (schmidtii). 



This genus differs from Murcenesox chiefly in the dentition ; the teeth in 

 the jaws are small and biserial and the vomer has a series of long, pointed 

 canines. The very long tail is four times length of rest of body. Gill 

 openings wide. Two species, American. (OTT/IOV, armature; vvviq, vomer; 

 correctly written Hoplynnls. ) 



a. Eye 3 in snout ; tail four times rest of body. SCHMIDTII, 591. 



aa. Eye 3 to 3% in snout ; cleft of mouth extending'beyond eye. DIOMEDIANUS, 592. 



591. HOPLUNNIS SCHMIDTII, Kaup. 



Tail about four times as long as rest of body ; eye 3 in snout ; posterior 

 portion of vertical fins black. (Kaup per Giinther.) Caribbean Sea at 

 Puerto Cabello ; one specimen known and very imperfectly described. (A 

 personal name.) 



Hoplunnis scttmidtii, KAUP, Aale Hamb. Mus., 19, pi. 2, fig. 4, 1859, Puerto Cabello ; GATHER, 

 Cat., vjin, 49, 1870. 



592. HOPLUNNIS DIOMEDIANUS, Goode & Bean. 



Allied to H. schmidtii, with height of body 4 in head ; its width f its height. 

 Snout 3 to 3f times eye. Cleft of mouth extends slightly beyond hind 

 margin of eye. Teeth in jaws small, pointed, in narrow bands, the inner 

 series of the lower jaw consisting of enlarged, widely separated canines 

 a pair of larger canines near the end of the lower jaw in the example fig- 

 ured ; a row of six to eight strong, large canines on the vomer. A single 



