520 



The Blennies : Blenniidae 



eel-shaped blennies with soft rays only, found on the coasts of Asia. 

 Another small family, Derepodichthyidce, is represented by one 

 species, a scaleless little fish from the shores of British Columbia. 



The Xenocephalidce consist of a single peculiar species, Xeno- 

 cephalus armatus, from the island of New Ireland. The head 

 is very large, helmeted with bony plates and armed with spines. 

 The body is short and slender, the ventrals with five rays, the 

 dorsal and anal short. 



The Cusk-eels: Ophidiidae. The more important family of 

 Ophidiida, or cusk-eels, is characterized by the extremely ante- 

 rior position of the ventral fins, which are inserted at the throat, 

 each one appearing as a long forked barbel. The tail is lepto- 



FIG. 472. Cusk-eel, Rissola marginata (De Kay). Virginia. 



cereal, attenuate, the dorsal and anal confluent around it. Ophi- 

 dion barbatum and Rissola rochei are common in southern 

 Europe. Rissola marginata is the commonest species on our 

 Atlantic coast, and Chilara taylori in California. Other species 

 are found farther south, and still others in deep water. Genyp- 

 terus contains numerous species of the south Pacific, some 

 of which reach the length of five feet, forming a commercial 

 substitute for cod. Genypterus capensis is the klipvisch of the 

 Cape of Good Hope, and Genypterus australis the "Cloudy Bay 

 cod" or "rock ling" of New England. Another large species, 



FIG. 473. Lycodapus dermatinus Gilbert. Lower California. 



Genypterus maculatus, occurs in Chile. A few fragments doubt- 

 fully referred to Ophidian and Fierasfer occur in the Eocene and 

 later rocks. The Lycodapodida contain a few small, scaleless 

 fishes (Lycodapus} dredged in the north Pacific. 



