1470 Bulletin 4.7 , United States National Museum. 



bladder. Lower pharyngeals separate, the teeth varying from sharp to 

 very obtuse. This genus is one of the most strongly marked in the family. 

 It has been confounded by all European writers with Umlrina, with which 

 it has not very much in common except the presence of the barbel at the 

 chin. All the species are American, and all bottom fishes. The low, 

 elongate body, the large pectorals, and the obsolete air bladder are all 

 characters related to this peculiarity of habit. The genus or subgenus 

 Cirrimens (ophiocephalus) from Chile differs in the larger number (13) of 

 dorsal spines (mentam, chin; cirrhus, barbel). 



MENTICIRRHUS : 

 a. Dorsal spines usually 11 ; head not terete, depressed, with low snout. 



&. Gill rakers obsolete, reduced to tubercular prominences, covered with teeth 

 similar to those on the other gill arches, more developed in the young ; lower 

 pharyngeals narrow; the teeth villiform or cardiform, all of them acute or 

 conical, none with rounded heads (molar) ; teeth in the outer series of upper 

 jaw more or less enlarged; scales on breast large. 

 c. Soft dorsal rather short, its rays I, 18 to I, 22; snout prominent. 



d. Snout very prominent, 3 in head, its tip projecting beyond the pre- 

 maxillaries for a distance about f diameter of eye ; spinous dor- 

 sal elevated, its longest spines li in head, reaching beyond front of 

 soft dorsal; eye large, but much smaller than in M. nasus, 5 in 

 head; pectorals 1J in head. SIMUS, 1855. 



dd. Snout less prominent, about 4 in head, its tip not recurved. 



e. Dorsal rays X-I, 22, the spines rather high ; eye very large, 4 in 

 head, snout much projecting; pectoral !$ in head. 



NASUS, 1856. 

 ee. Dorsal rays X-I, 19 or 20 ; dorsal spines lower, the longest barely 



reaching soft dorsal. 



/. Snout rather short and blunt, 3 in head, projecting beyond 

 premaxillaries nearly a diameter of the eye; eye 

 small, 7 in head ; maxillary reaching to posterior margin 

 of pupil, 3 in head; outer teeth of upper jaw much 

 enlarged; pectoral long, 1| in head; ventral 2 in head; 

 longest dorsal spine as long as pectoral ; upper lobe of 

 caudal acute, lower lobe rounded, brownish above, 

 lighter below; lower fins with considerable black. 



PANAMENSIS, 1857. 



cc. Soft dorsal longer, its rays I, 23 to I, 25. 



g. Mouth comparatively large, the maxillary reaching to below middle of 

 eye, 2| to 3 in head ; teeth on lower pharyngeals acute ; back and 

 sides usually with oblique dusky bars ; lower lobe of caudal the 

 longer. 



h. Outer teeth of upper jaw decidedly enlarged; dorsal spines not 

 much elevated, the longest usually not reaching front of soft 

 dorsal, 1 to 1| in head. Coloration, grayish silvery, the dark 

 markings not pronounced and often obsolete. 

 i. Dorsal rays X-I, 22 or 23; snout rather shorter and lefts 

 pointed than in M . americanu^, 3 in head ; mouth smaller, 

 the maxillary 3 in head. Coloration usually plain, some- 

 times very dark, otherwise as in Menticirrhus americauus. 



MARTINICENSIS, 1858. 



ii. Dorsal rays X-I, 24 or 25; snout longer, 3 in head; maxil- 

 lary reaching nearly to middle of eye, 2 to 3 in head; 

 eye small, 2 in snout; teeth villiform, in broad bands, 

 the outer series of the upper jaw very much enlarged, 

 larger than in the other species; ventrals short, 1 in 



