5 o8 



The Blennies : Blenniidx 



for the great length of the upper jaw, which is formed as in 

 Opisthognathus. Its membranes are brightly colored, being 

 edged with bright yellow. Gibbonsia elegans is the pretty 

 "senorita" of the coralline-lined rock-pools of California. Lepi- 

 soma nuchipinne, with a fringe of filaments at the nape, is very 



FIG. 448. Kelp Blenny, Gibbonsia evides Jordan & Gilbert. San Diego. 



abundant in rock-pools of the West Indies. The species of 

 Auchenopterus abound in the rock-pools of tropical America. 

 These are very small neatly colored fishes with but one soft ray 

 in the long dorsal fin. Species of Tripterygion, Myxodes, Cris- 

 ticeps, and other genera abound in the South Pacific. 



In Blennius and its relatives the body is scaleless and the 

 slender teeth are arranged like the teeth of a comb. In most 



r-r*~x 



FIG. 449. Blennius cristatus L. Florida. 



species long, fang-like posterior canines are developed in the 

 jaws. Blennius is represented in Europe by many species, Blen- 

 nius galerita, ocellaris, and basiliscus being among the most com- 

 mon. Certain species inhabit Italian lakes, having assumed a 

 fresh-water habit. The numerous American species mostly 



