APODAL FISHES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. 
613 
ANALYSIS OF THE AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN GENERA OF OPHISUKIDjE. 
a. Body without traces of fins anywhere; teeth all small, conical; gill-openings near 
together, subinferior; anterior nostril tubular; tongue scarcely 
free in front; mouth small Spiiagebuanchus, 8. 
act. Body with distinct tins, at least on the back. 
b. Anal fin wholly wanting; no pectoral fin; dorsal fin high, beginning on the 
head; gill-openings subinferior, converging; anterior nostrils 
tubular; tongue slender, somewhat free in front. 
Letharchus, 9. 
bb. Anal fin well developed ; anterior nostril usually in a short tube near tip of 
snout. 
c. Teeth blunt, mostly granular or molar; vomer with teeth; pectoral fins 
present, small. 
d. Dorsal fin rather high, beginning on the head, before the gill-opening. 
Myrichthys, 10. 
dd. Dorsal fin low, beginning -well behind the head [Pisoodonophis. ] 
cc. Teeth all pointed, none of them molar; vomer w r ith teeth. 
e. Dorsal fin beginning before nape, on anterior part of head; pectoral fin 
small or wanting. 
/. Pectoral fins wholly wanting; body compressed, the dorsal fin high. 
Callechelys, 11. 
ff. Pectoral fins small, but present; body elongate, subterete, the dorsal 
fin moderate Bascanichthys, 1*2. 
ce. Dorsal fin beginning more or less behind the gill-opening. 
g. Pectoral fins wholly wanting ; gill-openings inferior, transverse, close 
together; mouth small, with small subequal teeth. 
• (Lecula. 13. 
gg. Pectoral fins reduced to a small flap, not longer than eye; teeth 
small, mostly uniserial; gill- openings lateral. 
Quassiremus, 14. 
ggg. Pectoral fins well developed, much longer thau eye; gill-openings 
usually lateral, sometimes subinferior. 
1 1 . Snout moderate or short, less than one-fourth head, the jawsnot pro- 
duced into a slender beak. 
i. Lips not fringed. 
j. Teeth subequal, with no elongate canines on jaws or vomer. 
Ophichthus, 15. 
jj. Teeth unequal, some of them long canines, either on vomer or 
on sides of one or both jaws; mouth large, the snout short, 
and the eyes more or less superior Mystriophis, 16. 
ii. Lips with a conspicuous fringe ofpapilke; canines present; jaws 
rather long; head depressed; eyes superior; lower jaw pro- 
jecting Brachysomophis, 17. 
hh. Snout very long, attenuate, clavate at tip, its length more than one- 
fourth head; jaws slender and elongate; canine teeth strong; 
tail much longer than trunk ; head compressed, the eyes lat- 
eral Ophisurus, 18. 
Genus 8.-SPHAGEBRANCHUS. 
Sphagebranchus Bloch, Ichthyologia, ix, 88, pi. 419, 1795 ( rostraius ). 
Caecilia Lac^pkde, Hist. Nat. Poiss., ii, 135, 1800 (brandei'iana=coeciis ) ; (not Coccilia 
L ., a genus of Batrachia). 
Apt^richthe Dum^ril, Zoologie Analytique, 1806 (ctfcits). 
