1861.] DR. A. GiJNTHER ON CENTRAL-AMERICAN FISHES. 37.5 



cal from the praeopercular margin ; the two anterior spines are a 

 little higher than the second dorsal, and flexible ; the membrane 

 behind the third spine extends backwards to the base of the second 

 fin. All the spines of the second fin are stiif and pungent, of nearly 

 equal length, the anterior ones being a little shorter ; the membrane 

 of the last spine terminates immediately before the base of the caudal, 

 leaving that fin quite free. Caudal rounded, one-seventh of the total 

 length. The anal commences below the seventh spine of the poste- 

 rior dorsal, and terminates before the caudal ; it has two spines an- 

 teriorly. The scales are of moderate size ; the lateral line runs 

 closely along the dorsal profile, is bent downwards behind the pec- 

 toral, and proceeds along the middle of the tail to the caudal. 



Brownish, irregularly marbled with darker ; anterior dorsal black- 

 ish ; a black ocellus, edged with white, on the nineteenth and twentieth 

 spines of the posterior dorsal. 



Total length 2 inches. 



MuGIL PROBOSCIDEUS. 



D. 4 I ^. A. -j|. L. lat. 38. L. transv. 14. 



The front part of the upper lip is extremely thick, conically pro- 

 duced ; the lower parts of both lips with a band of soft pavement- 

 like papillae, arranged in oblique series. Cleft of the mouth deeper 

 than broad. 



Description. — This species is naturally more closely allied to 

 Agonostoma plicatile than to Mugil, but differs from it in having no 

 teeth at all in the jaws, except that in one specimen the band of 

 papillae passes into a series of fine moveable teeth anteriorly in the 

 upper jaw. The head and especially the body and tail are com- 

 pressed ; the greatest depth of the body nearly equals the length of 

 the head, and is contained four times and a half in the total length. 

 The upper anterior profile is nearly straight, obliquely descending. 

 The interorbital space is convex, one-half of the length of the head, 

 and scaly, whilst the parts before the orbits are naked. The anterior 

 portion of the upper lip is extremely thick, conically protruding, and 

 nearly as long as the remainder of the snout. A narrow band of 

 soft papillae occupies the lower parts of the lips anteriorly and 



M. proboscideus . 



