600 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



them freely depressible. Opercular bones thin. Pseudobranchise present. 

 Gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus. Branchiostegals about 7. 

 Gill rakers short, sharp, spine-like. Eye large. Lateral line present, its 

 scales usually enlarged. Dorsal fin short and small, behind the middle of 

 the body, nearly or quite over the ventrals ; adipose fin present ; anal fin 

 low, rather long; caudal fin short, narrow, forked; pectorals rather small, 

 placed low. Pyloric coeca none. No air bladder. Luminous spots little 

 developed. Deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific; resembling Sphyrcvna 

 in form and dentition. Species few. This genus is allied to Alepisaurus, 

 which, in the structure of the mouth, it much resembles, although differ- 

 ing in the development of its fins. (Sudis, a stake, an ancient name of the 

 Barracuda.) 



a. Maxillary not reaching eye; dorsal rays 7 or 8. INTEEMEDIUS, 895. 



aa. Maxillary reaching eye; dorsal rays 11. RINGENS, 896. 



895. SUDIS INTERMEDIUS (Poey). 



Head 5^ in total length ; depth 7 ; eye 6| in head, 3$ in snout. D. 7 or 

 8; A. very long, its rays not counted; V. 10; P. 15; B. 8. Body com- 

 pressed. Bones of snout transparent ; mouth large, its cleft not reaching 

 eye; jaws equal; maxillary parallel with premaxillary ; premaxillary 

 with 2 canines in front, its border with many small recurved teeth ; lower 

 jaw with 2 similar canines and a dozen large lateral teeth ; those of the 

 middle largest, curved like half a lance head, these alternating with small 

 teeth ; no vomerine teeth ; palatine teeth large, curved, uniserial ; tongue 

 with teeth along its side ; no scales present when first seen ; lateral line 

 narrow, marked by elevations of the skin. Ventrals small, in middle of 

 length, before the dorsal; insertion of anal midway between ventral and 

 caudal ; dorsal inserted midway between ventrals and anal ; caudal short, 

 concave ; no evident adipose fin. Flesh color, the sides silvery. One 

 specimen known, from Matanzas, Cuba. (Poey.) 



Paralepis intermedius, POEY, Repertorio, u, 416, 1867, Matanzas. 



896. SUDIS RINGENS, Jordan & Gilbert. 



Head 4 ; depth 16. D. 11 ; A. 25. Body very slender and elongate, com- 

 pressed. Head rather slender, anteriorly pointed and moderately depressed. 

 Mouth large, horizontal, the gape extending more than half length of 

 head. Margin of the upper jaw formed entirely by the very slender, 

 nearly straight premaxillaries, which are closely appressed to the long 

 and slender maxillaries ; maxillaries extending to below the eye, nearly 

 as far as the mandibular joint; tip of upper jaw emarginate; tip of 

 lower jaw rather broad, turned up and fitting in the notch of the upper 

 jaw ; premaxillaries armed with a series of small, sharp, subequal, close- 

 set teeth, which are hooked backward; a long, slender canine in fronton 

 each side ; lower jaw with about 10 sharp, slender teeth on each side, 

 these teeth very unequal, some of them short, 3 or 4 very long and canine- 

 like; near the front a fang-like tooth on each side, then a considerable 

 interspace, behind which the others are arranged partly in 2 rows; 

 most of these teeth, especially the inner and larger ones and the anterior 



