640 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
This genus contains three species of small eels, resembling earth- 
worms, found on the sandy shores of tropical America. 
ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIES OF MYROPIIIS. 
a. Pectoral fin very small, no larger than the pupil of the eye. Body cylindrical, 
vermiform, the head small aud jaws rather weak ; gill-openings very small, If 
the diameter of the eye, 3 to 4 in the isthmn3, which is about as wide as the length 
of the lower jaw ; teeth uniserial in all the bones of the mouth ; dorsal fin com- 
mencing at a distance about twice the length of head behind the gill-openings ; 
head 4| in the trunk ; head aud trunk If in tail ; eye 2f in the snout, situated 
just back of the middle of gape, which is 3f in head; depth of body at vent 
containing the snout twice and contained in the head 2f times. General color 
light brown, the dorsal region appearing darker because of the multitude of 
minute dark-brown specks ; a light streak running from beginning of dorsal 
forward to the nape ; nape and back of head a little darker in color. Frio, 83. 
aa. Pectoral fin larger, If to 2 times the diameter of the eye. 
b. Base of pectoral fin half the width of the gill-opening ; snout very narrow ; jaws 
weak ; width of snout between the anterior nostrils less than diameter of eye; 
width of interorbital space equal to eye ; greatest width of head less than that 
of body behind the gill-openings ; teeth uniserial on vomer and mandible, 
biserial on maxillary ; head 3 times in the trunk, 7 times in the tail ; depth of 
body at gill-openings 2f in the head ; eye 2 in suout, which is 6 in the head; 
gape 3f in head ; upper jaw projecting. General color light brown, the sides 
and back punctate with dark-brown dots ; belly and throat plain, except a 
little patch of dusky points below the gill-openings Punctatus, 84. 
bb. Base of pectoral fin as wide as the gill-opening ; snout almost as broad as long; 
width at the nostrils greater than the interorbital width ; dorsal commencing 
nearer the vent than the gill-openings ; teeth uniserial on vomer and man- 
dible, biserial on maxillary ; head a little less than three in the trunk, 5f in 
the tail ; depth of body at the gill-openings 3£ to 4 in the head; upper jaw 
projecting. Color light brown ; sides and back with minute brown specks, 
smaller than i i\ punctatus ) belly and throat plain Vafer, 85. 
83. MYROPHIS FRIO. 
Myrophis frio Jordan <fc Davis, sp. nov. (Cape Frio). 
Habitat : Coast of Brazil. 
Etymology : From the original locality, Cape Frio. 
This species is known from a single example, 12J inches long, col- 
lected by the Albatross at Station 2762, off Cape Frio, near Bio Janeiro. 
The species is well separated from the others by the minute pectoral, 
which is almost invisible. This species is intermediate between Myro- 
phis and the East Indian genus Muramichthys , which differs only in the 
total absence of pectorals. 
84. MYROPHIS PUNCTATUS. 
Myrophis punctatus Liitkeu, Vid. Med. Naturh. Foren. Kjoben., 1, 1851 (West Indies); 
Jordan, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 282, 1883 (description of Lutken’s 
type); Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 33, 1884 (Pensacola) ; Jordan, Cat. 
Fish. N. A., 54, 1885; Jordan &■ Evermann, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 474, 
1886 (Pensacola) ; Jordan, ibid, 567. 
Myrophis longicollis Kaup, Apodes, 30, 1856 (Surinam) (not Murcena longicollis 
Cuvier) ; Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss, Ber. 397, 1864 t 
