26O CLASSIFICATION OF VERTEBRATES. 



Hemitripterus, Platycephalus, etc., are marine. Lepidocottus, oligocene. 

 The closely allied AGONID^E are armored. DISCOBOLI, the skin naked ; 

 bases of the ventral fins forming a sucker on the lower surface. Cyclop- 

 terus, lump-fish ; Liparis ; TRIGLID.E, covered with scales or bony plates ; 

 anal without spines ; two or three rays of the pectoral separate from the 

 rest. Trigla (appears in the miocene), the gurnards, European ; Prio- 

 notus, sea-robins, on our coasts. The finger-like free rays of the pectoral 

 are sensory. The DACTYLOPTERID/E share with the Exocoetidae (supra) 

 the common name, flying-fishes ; they have armored bodies, lack a lateral 

 line, have pectorals enormously developed, and no palatine teeth. Dactyl- 

 opterus. Allied is Pegasus, with smaller pectorals and elongate snout, 

 from the East Indies. 



SUB-ORDER 5. XENOPTERYGII. 



No scales, no spinous dorsal, gill arches reduced, a ventral sucker 

 between the pectorals but not formed by them. The only family GOBIE- 

 SOCIDJE is somewhat closely related to the Batrachidae and Cottidae. 

 Gobiesox, American. 



SUB-ORDER 6. HOLCONOTI. 



Anal fin very long, scales cycloid, lower pharyngeals united, }oung 

 brought forth alive. The surf perches (EMBIOTOCID.E) of the Pacific coast 

 form the only members of this group, which finds its nearest relatives in the 

 percoid fishes and in the pharyngognaths (infra). Cymatogaster, Embio- 

 toca, Holconotus, U. S. ; Ditrema, Japan. 



SUB-ORDER 7. PHARYNGOGNATHI. 



Nostrils double, lower pharyngeals united, scales cycloid ; oviparous. 

 A single family, LABRID.E, of percoid affinities, most of the species being 

 tropical or sub-tropical shore feeders. Labnis, European wrasses; Cteno- 

 labrus, cunners ; Tautoga ; Scarus, parrot-fish. Allied are the tropical 



FlG. 260. Gunner, Ctenolabrus carttleus, after Goode. 



