1450 Bulletin ^7, United States National Museum. 



overpassed by the bluntly rounded snout for a distance (taken axially) 

 equal to \ diameter of pupil; cleft of the mouth moderately oblique, the 

 maxillary reaching vertical from middle of pupil; length of maxillary 

 (measured from front of premaxillaries) 3^ in head ; mandible with a broad 

 band of villiform teeth of uniform size; premaxillaries with a similar 

 broad villiform band, preceded by an outer series of small canines, close- 

 set, smaller in size than in related species ; preorbital of moderate width, 

 swollen and turgid as in Pachyurus, its width 6^ in head ; posterior nostril 

 large, circular, without trace of raised membranous edge; anterior nos- 

 tril vertically elliptical, small, and with raised margin; preopercular 

 margin with 14 to 16 spinous teeth (in the type specimen), the upper ones 

 minute, increasing in size toward preopercular angle, around which they 

 evenly radiate, none conspicuously enlarged, and the lowermost not 

 directed abruptly downward. Gill rakers short, the longest about equal- 

 ing diameter of posterior nostril, 1 movable ones on upper limb of arch, 

 13 below. First dorsal high, of very slender flexible spines, except the 

 first two; second spine strong and rigid, as long as the fourth, contained 

 If times in the head; third spine the longest, reaching when declined to 

 base of first ray of second dorsal, its length If in head ; from the third, 

 the spines decrease rapidly, so that the distal margin of the fin is sub- 

 vertical; the tenth spine shortest, its membrane reaching base only of the 

 eleventh, which belongs to second dorsal and is f diameter of the eye ; sec- 

 ond dorsal high, the longest ray equaling length of snout and eye; caudal 

 sublanceolate, mutilated so that its exact shape can not be ascertained; 

 middle rays considerably longer than the outer, and at least f length of 

 head ; second anal spine long and strong, its length If in head, slightly 

 greater than that of first soft ray which, however, projects beyond it; 

 outer ventral ray produced in a very short filament, about J diameter 

 of eye; ventral spine 2| in head, the longest ray, exclusive of filament, 

 1| in head, reaching f distance from their base to vent; pectorals 1 

 in head, reaching a vertical from tips of ventrals. Lips, branchioste- 

 gals, gular membranes, and under side of snout naked, head and body 

 otherwise scaled; scales on mandible and those in advance of nostrils 

 cycloid or those on top of snout very weakly ctenoid, scales otherwise 

 strongly ctenoid ; second dorsal and anal with a definite low scaly sheath 

 at base consisting of a single series of small scales, and, in addition, series 

 of scales on the membranes extending f distance to tip. Caudal scaled to 

 tip ; lateral line with a long low curve, the height of which equals diame- 

 ter of orbit. Color steel gray above, without dark streaks, white below, 

 the cheeks and lower portion of sides with much brown specking, some- 

 times confined to the margins of the scales; mouth white within; lining 

 of opercles blackish ; fins dusky, the distal part of ventrals black, the outer 

 ray white; anal with the anterior rays tipped with black. A single speci- 

 men, about 8 inches long. Panama. This species is closely related to 

 0. scierus, but differs in the longer, less compressed body, the plain colora- 

 tion, the turgid preorbitals, less arched lateral line, and smaller teeth. 

 (Gilbert.) (A diminutive of simus, snub-nosed.) 

 Ophioscion simulus, GILBERT MS., Fishes of Panama 1898, Panama (Coll. C. H. Gilbert.) 



