G40 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



horizontal, very small. Scales becoming larger posteriorly. Caudal 

 arrow-shaped, about one-fourth length of rest of body ; pectoral as long- 

 as vi-ntral, half as long as head. Head 5f (7 in total with caudal); 

 depth !)? (li ( with caudal). D. VI, 21; A. I, 20. L. 9.J inches. "Cali- 

 fornia." (Giinthcr.) 

 (Ainblyopus (Tynllastet) sagitta Giiutlier, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1862, 193.) 



FAMILY CV. CH1RID.E.* 



(The CMroids.) 



Cottoid fishes, with the body elongate, covered with small scales, 

 which are either ctenoid or cycloid; head more or less conical, scaly, 

 without armature above; preopercle sometimes armed; top of head 

 without spinous ridges, but usually with dermal flaps; a bony stay 

 across the cheeks from the suborbital. Mouth large or small, with 

 t<vth on jaws, and usually on vomer and palatines; teeth various. 

 Gills 1, a considerable slit behind the fourth; gill-membranes free or 

 variously attached. Branchiostegals or 7. Pseudobranchise present. 

 Dorsal iin elongate, continuous or divided, the anterior half or more 



a posed of spines; anal fin elongate, with or without spines; vcutrals 

 1, 5; some or all of the soft rays branched. Pyloric caeca few or many. 

 Lateral line present; sometimes several lateral lines. Carnivorous 

 lishes of the Xorth Pacific. Genera, 8 or known; species about 15. 



(Tri;/H/]n\ jjroup Hefarolepidina Gliuthor, ii, !)0-9">: genera, ('hints, Oplnudon, .l</nint- 

 iii it*. :iiid /. 



a. Lateral lines I or more on <>ach side ; anal spines ohsolete : monl li moderate : jaws 



with :m outer series lit' stronger teeth, lint nil canines. (Chiritxr.) 

 Ii. (iiil-iniMii'.iraii'-s ln-oailly united, five from tin- isthmus; scales mostly ctenoid. 



II i:\.u.i:. \.M.MTS. ;!.")!. 

 aa. Lati-r.-il line sin^h- on c-.-ich side. 



</. (;ill-iiieinl(i-;ines free 1'ro ui the isthmus; preoperele armed. 



c. An.-il spines olisolete; srales cycloid: motitli lar^e, with strong eaninej;. 



ee. Anal spine.-,:',, sironx; scales ctcinuil ; nxuilh small, without canines. 



"The ('liirifl'i; Xrorjiiniiilir, Ciiltitln. .li/oiii'ln , '1'iii/liilii, I.ijxirid'nld. and 

 iViMii a closely-related series ( t'dhi/ihnirli \, and are disl in^iiished I'roni all the other 

 .li-niiliiiiiiliri l>y the pre-eiir-.il' the siiliorliital slay. Dill'crent writers have widely 

 separated aome <>!' the memlicrs of this ^roup from the others, hut the relations of 

 each, e-ijie.-ially of tin- Xritrint'iiiil,r, .ti/ini:ilii-. and /.i/mi-iil'iiltf, wilh the Col tula.' are so 

 close that it is dil'.ici;'.i to dniw salisfactory houndary lines. 



