Pareioplitae, or Mailed-cheek Fishes 455 



often descending to great depths, in which case the body is very 

 soft. One genus, Enantioliparis, is found in the Antarctic. In 

 the principal genus, Liparis, the ventral disk is well developed, 

 and the spinous dorsal obsolete. Liparis li parts is found on 

 both shores of the North Atlantic, and is subject to large varia- 

 tions in color. Liparis agassizi is abundant in Japan and north- 

 ward, and Liparis pukhellus in California. In the most primi- 

 tive genus, Neoliparis, a notch in the fin indicates the separation 

 of the spinous dorsal. Neoliparis montagui is common in Europe, 

 replaced in New England by Neoliparis atlanticus. Careproctus, 

 with numerous elongate species, inhabits depths of the North 

 Pacific. In Paraliparis (or Hilgendorfia) ulochir, the ventral 



FIG. 408. Snailfish, Neoliparis mucosus (Ayres). San Francisco. 



disk is gone and the lowest stage of degradation of the 

 Loricate or Scorpcena-Cottus type of fishes is reached. No fossil 

 lump-suckers or liparids are recorded, although remains of 

 Cyclopterus lumpus are found in nodules of glacial clay in 

 Canada. 



The Baikal Cods: Comephoridae. The family of Comephorida 

 includes Comephorus baikalensis, a large fresh-water fish of 

 Lake Baikal in Siberia, having no near affinities with any other 

 existing fish, but now known to be a mail -cheek fish related to 

 the Cottida. The body is elongate, naked, with soft flesh and 

 feeble skeleton. The mouth is large, with small teeth, and 

 the skull has a cavernous structure. There are no ventral 

 fins. The spinous dorsal is short and low, the second dorsal 

 and anal many-rayed, and the pectoral fins are excessively long, 

 almost wing-like; the vertebras number 8+35=43, and unlike 

 most fresh-water fishes, the species has no air-bladder. Little 

 is known of the habits of this singular fish. Another genus is 

 recently described under the name of Cottocomephorus. 



