946 
Body well elongated, cylindrical. Head short or mod¬ 
erate. Snout pointed, projects beyond mouth, with shark like 
profile. Eyes small, before or above middle of mouth cleft. 
Mouth small, reaches behind or far behind eye. Lips without 
filaments. Teeth small, conic, pointed, mostly unlserial. 
Vomerine teeth equal in size, stouter, blserlal. Tongue 
s carcely free in front. Front nostril tubular, at border of 
upper lip, or at ventral surface of prominent part of snout. 
Hind nostril slit in border of upper lip, faces dovmward. 
Gill slits small, close together. Inferior, vertical or con¬ 
verge forward. No scales. Lateral line present. Dorsal 
origin above or generally more or less behind gill openings. 
Dorsal and anal sometimes absent, or very low, not confluent, 
ending at short distance from end of tall. No pectorals. 
Small eels, mostly living on sandy shores of temperate 
and tropical seas, some entering fresh water. 
The following doubtful. 
