384 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



Mursenophis ocellatus, LE SUEUR, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., v, 1825, 108, pi. 4, fig. 3, South 



America. 



Ophisurus remiger, VALENCIENNES, in D'Orbigny Voy. Amer. Merid., Poiss., pi. 12, fig. 2, 1839. 

 OphicJithys ocellatm, GUNTHER, Cat., viu, 68, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 359, 1883. 

 Herpetoichthys ocellatus, GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1879, 155. 

 Ophichlhus ocellalus, JOBDAN & DAVIS, 1. c., 630. 



630. OPHICHTHUS TRISERIALIS (Kaup). 



Teeth in both jaws uniserial, the anterior more or less enlarged ; vomer- 

 ine teeth in one row. Body terete, the tail 1 times the length of head 

 and trunk ; head flattish ; mouth broad, its width as great as distance 

 between the nostrils or as interorbital space; gill openings vertical, well 

 separated ; dorsal fin beginning a little before tip of pectoral ; head 2f in 

 trunk, 51 in tail; pectoral fin 2f to 3 in head, about equal to lower jaw; 

 cleft of mouth 2f in head ; gill openings less than one-half the pectorals, 

 less than eye, 1J in isthmus ; eye li in snout, 2 in cleft of mouth ; teeth 

 rather strong, one or two in front of upper jaw almost canine-like; vom- 

 erine teeth small. Color light brown ; a row of rather large round black 

 blotches above the lateral line ; a series of smaller spots on each side of 

 dorsal, alternating with the large blotches ; a row of submarginal spots 

 along the dorsal fin ; anal fin plain; top and sides of head with smaller 

 spots ; in adults a faint, dusky shade across the pector*! ; lower parts 

 pale ; longitudinal wrinkles on throat conspicuous. Pacific Coast of 

 Tropical America, rather common, from Lower California to the Galapa- 

 gos, (triserialis, three-rowed.) 



Mursenopsis triserialis, KAUP, Apodes, 12, 1856, Pacific. 



Herpetoichthys callisoma, ABBOTT, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, 475, locality unknown. 



Ophisimis californiensis, GARRETT, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Cal., 1863, 66, Coast of Lower California. 



Ophichthus rugifer, JORDAN & BOLLMAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1889, 155, Charles Island, Gala- 

 pagos ; young with longer pectorals. (Type, No. 41428. Coll. Albatross.) 



Ophichthys triserialis, GUNTHER, Cat., vm, 58, 1870 ; STREETS, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., vn, 55, 1877 ; 

 JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, 457 ; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 359, 1883. 



Ophichthus triserialis, JORDAN & DAVIS, I. c., G31. 



Subgenus SCYTALOPHIS, Kaup. 



631. OPHICHTHUS GOMESII (Castelnau). 



(SEA SERPENT.) 



Vomerine teeth biserial throughout ; teeth in both jaws biserial, sub- 

 equal, no canines ; pectoral 2^ to 2g in head, about as long as cleft of 

 mouth, which is 2| in head. Body terete; the head rather short, about 

 2 (2i to 3) in trunk ; the head and trunk 1^ (1^ "chrysops" to 1-fr "ma- 

 crurus") in the tail ; snout rather short, pointed; interorbital space broad, 

 equal to eye, which is about 1 in snout; nasal tubes short; dorsal inserted 

 behind middle of pectoral ; diameter of gill opening equal to eye, 1 in the 

 isthmus, 3 in the pectoral. Olive brown above, the coloration caused by 

 innumerable brown points on a yellowish ground ; light yellow below ; 

 pectoral dusky, dark along the upper edge ; lower jaw with dusky mark- 

 ings ; dorsal and anal fin translucent, with dark margins; pores on jaws 



