258 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1889. 



A REVIEW OF THE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN 

 URANOSCOPIDJE OR STAR-GAZERS. 



BY PHILIP H. KIRSCH. 



In the following paper, I give the synonymy of the species of 

 Uranoscopidce or Star-Gazers found in European and American 

 waters, with an analytical key by which the genera and species may 

 be distinguished. The specimens examined mostly belong to the 

 Museum of the University of Indiana, nearly all of them having 

 been collected by Dr. Jordan. 



The family of Uranoscopidce is here accepted as limited by Dr. 

 Gill and by Jordan and Gilbert. It may be thus defined : 



Head large, broad, partly covered with bony plates. Body 

 elongate, conic, subcompressed, widest and usually deepest at the 

 occiput. Body either naked or covered with very small, smooth, 

 adherent scales, which are arranged in very oblique series running 

 downward and backward ; the scales on the belly inconspicuous or 

 obsolete. Lateral line little developed, running high. Eyes small, 

 on anterior and upper portion of head with vertical range. Mouth 

 vertical, with strong and prominent mandible ; teeth moderate, on 

 jaws, vomer and palatines. 



Premaxillaries freely protractile ; maxillary broad, without sup- 

 plemental bones, not slipping under the preorbital. Gill-openings 

 wide, continued forwards; gill-membranes nearly separate, free from 

 the isthmus. Pseudobranchiae present; branchiostegals ; 3? gills, 

 a slit behind the last ; no anal papilla. Spinous dorsal very short 

 or wanting ; second dorsal long. Anal and pectorals large, the 

 latter with broad oblique bases, the lower rays rapidly shortened, 

 most of them branched ; ventrals jugular, close together, I, 5, the 

 spine very short, innermost ray longest ; caudal not forked. Air- 

 bladder generally absent; pyloric coeca in moderate number. 

 Carnivorous fishes living on the bottom of the shores of most warm 

 regions. 



Analysis of European and American Genera of Uranoscopidce. 



a. Spinous dorsal obsolete ; no scales ; head above covered with 

 bone, except the groove of the premaxillary spine ; the bony occipital 

 plate coalescing with the orbital rims ; humeral spine well developed; 

 no distinct protuberances on top of head; no spine in front of 

 humeral spine; two small forward directed spines in front of eye ; 



