364 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



on each side, those in front enlarged and canine-like ; upper jaw with a 

 series of similar teeth on each side and another down middle of vomer, 

 these three series converging forward and meeting at a point opposite 

 middle of lower jaw ; in front of this on premaxillary and nasal bones 

 about 4 large, stout, hooked canines, the largest teeth of all ; 123 verte- 

 brae in trunk (probably about 100 in tail) ; pectoral, gill opening, and 

 skin wholly digested in the type; coloration probably similar to Stilbiscus 

 edwardsi. Length 2i feet. Snapper Banks of West Florida, in rather 

 deep water, known from half digested specimens and fragments found in 

 stomachs of other fishes, (irretitus, entangled.) 



Gordiichtliys irretitus, JORDAN & DAVIS, Apodal Fishes, 644, 1892, off Pensacola, Florida. 

 (Coll. Stearns.) 



Family XLIX. NETTASTOMII)^. 



(THE SORCERERS.) 



Eels without pectoral fins, with the tongue not free, the posterior nos- 

 trils remote from the lip, the gill openings small, separate, and subin- 

 ferior, the vent remote from the head, the tail ending in a slender tip or 

 filament, the dorsal and anal fins moderately developed, and the jaws 

 produced, slender, and straight, the upper the longer, and both, as also 

 the vomer, armed with bands of sharp, close-set, recurved, subequal teeth. 

 This family contains a few species of deep-sea eels, closely allied to the 

 Murwnesocidce in technical characters, but more resembling the Nemich- 

 ihyidce in appearance, form of the head, and in dentition. Three genera 

 are known deep-sea fishes, with fragile bodies and the thin skin charged 

 with black pigment. (Muramidw, part, Giinther, Cat., vin, 18, 1870.) 



a. Dorsal fin low, beginning nearly above gill opening. 



b. Nostrils lateral, the posterior slit-like, placed just in front of eye ; snout without fleshy 



tip. CHLOPSIS, 165. 



bb. Nostrils nearly superior, the posterior above and in front of eye, the anterior at tip of 



bony portion of snout ; head with numerous mucous pores. 



c. Snout with a long, slender, fleshy tip or proboscis, at the base of which are the 

 anterior nostrils. VENEFICA, 166. 



165. CHLOPSIS, Rafinesque. 



Chlopsis, RAFINESQUE, Indice Ittiol. Sicil, 58, 1810, (bicolor). 

 Saurenchelys, PETERS, Berliner Monatsberichte, 1864, 397, (cancrivora). 



This genus, sufficiently characterized above, is very close to Nettastoma, 

 differing chiefly in the position of the nostrils. Two species known, in 

 rather deep water. (x^y, a twig; oi/uc, appearance.) 



598. CHLOPSIS EQUATORIALIS, Gilbert. 



Head, 2 in head and trunk ; eye 3| in snout ; body extremely slender, 

 tapering posteriorly to a very narrow tail, which is, however, not filamen- 

 tous ; head long and slender, lower jaw shorter than the upper ; eye 

 nearly over angle of mouth ; posterior nostril a long horizontal slit imme- 

 diately in front of lower margin of eye ; series of slit-like mucous pores 

 along upper jaw ; series of round pores along lower jaw ; transverse series 

 on occiput ; both jaws and vomer with wide bands of short, sharp, conical 

 teeth, inner series on jaws slightly longer than the other ; bands on skaft 



