108(6). TRIGLID.E CEPHALACANTIIUS. 737 



reaching slightly beyond membrane of opercle; opercle ending in two 

 points, the lower a long spine, the membrane connecting the two scaly ; 

 scales thin, ciliate, not closely imbricate; first dorsal spine granulate 

 in front; pectorals reaching beyond middle of anal, about to base of 

 ninth ray; free rays very slender, the uppermost more than half length 

 of fin; veutrals not reaching vent; caudal slightly etnarginate. Head 

 2; depth 4,' eye 1$ in snout. D. X-12; A. 11; P. 13-111; Lat. 1. 55. 

 Deep water off San Francisco ; one specimen known. 

 (Lockington, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1830, 529. ) 



391. CEPHA1LACATVTIIUS Luc6pede. 



Flying Gurnards. 

 (Dactylopterus Lac<5pMc, iii, 325.) 

 (Lacdpeclc, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iii. 323, 1602: type Gasterosieus spinarclla Linn.) 



Body elongate, subquadr angular, tapering behind; head very blunt, 

 quadrangular, its surface almost entirely bony; nasals, preorbitals, 

 suborbitals, and bones of top of head united into a shield; nuchal part 

 of shield on each side produced backward in a bony ridge, ending in a 

 a strong spine, which reaches past front of dorsal; interocular space 

 deeply concave; preorbitals forming a projecting roof above the jaws; 

 preopercle produced in a very long rough spine; cheeks and opercles 

 with small scales; opercle smaller than eye; gill-openings narrow, ver- 

 tical, separated by a very broad, scaly isthmus; pseudobrauchia3 large; 

 gill-rakers minute; mouth small, lower jaw included; jaws with granu- 

 lar teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; scales bony, strongly keeled; 

 2 serrated, knife-like appendages at base of tail; first dorsal of 4 or 

 5 rather high flexible spines, the first one or two spines nearly free 

 from the others; an immovable spine between the dorsals; anal and 

 second dorsal short, of slender rays; caudal small, lunate; pectoral 

 fins divided to the base into two parts, the anterior portion (corre- 

 sponding to the free rays in Prionotus] about as long as the head, of 

 about 6 rays, closely connected; the posterior and larger portion more 

 than twice length of head, reaching nearly to caudal in the adult 

 ("Dactylopterus" Lac.); much shorter in the young ("Cephalacanthus" 

 Lac.); these rays very slender, simple, wide apart at tip; ventrals I r 

 4, long, pointed, their bases close together, the inner rays shortest; 

 air-bladder with two lateral parts, each with a large muscle; py!oric 

 coeca numerous; vertebra 9 -f- 13. Warm seas; the adult able to move 

 Bull. Nat, Mus. No. 1C 47 



