FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 79, NO. 3 



imally; three pectoral radials; pelvic fin 

 of one spine and five rays 3 



2B. Parietals meeting on the midline dorsal 

 to supraoccipital; ectopterygoid roughly 

 oval in shape or absent; ceratobranchials 

 I through III with one or more tooth 

 plates; hypobranchial II simple, hypo- 

 branchial III absent; two pectoral radi- 

 als; pelvic fin of one spine and four 

 rays Brachionichthyidae 



3A. Vomer narrow, width between lateral 

 ethmoids considerably less than between 

 lateral margins of sphenotics; dorsal 

 head of quadrate narrow, width less than 

 that of metapterygoid; postmaxillary 

 process of premaxilla spatulate; opercle 

 reduced in size; pharyngobranchial and 

 epibranchial of first arch toothless; bony 

 connection between tips of haemal spines 

 absent; pterygiophore of illicium short, 

 posterior end cylindrical 4 



SB. Vomer wide, width between lateral 

 ethmoids nearly as great as between 

 lateral margins of sphenotics; dorsal 

 head of quadrate broad, width equal to 

 or greater than that of metapterygoid; 

 postmaxillary process of premaxilla 

 tapering to a point; opercle expanded 

 posteriorly; pharyngobranchial and epi- 

 branchial of arch I toothed; bony con- 

 nection between tips of haemal spines 

 of 14th through 16th preural centra; 

 pterygiophore of illicium elongate, great- 

 ly depressed and laterally expanded 

 posteriorly Lophichthyidae 



4A. Eyes lateral, dorsal fin spines well devel- 

 oped; mouth large; pectoral fin single, 

 rays not membranously attached to side 

 of body; pectoral fin lobe not membran- 

 ously attached to rays of pelvic fin; soft 

 dorsal fin rays 11 to 15, anal fin rays 

 6 to 9 Antennariidae 



4B. Eyes dorsal; dorsal fin spines reduced; 

 mouth small; pectoral fin double, dorsal- 

 most ray of ventral portion membranous- 

 ly attached to side of body; pectoral fin 

 lobe membranously attached to rays of 

 pelvic fin; soft dorsal fin rays 16 or 17, 

 anal fin rays 11 or 12 Tetrabrachiidae 



5A. Body slightly compressed laterally; cleft 

 of mouth nearly vertical; frontal bones 

 narrow, meeting each other on the mid- 

 line along their entire length; lateral 



ethmoids long and narrow; posteriormost 

 branchiostegal ray free; dorsal fin spines 

 II and III present, embedded beneath 

 skin of head; pelvic fin of one spine and 

 four rays; soft dorsal fin rays 11 to 13; 



anal fin rays 5 to 7 Chaunacidae 



5B. Body strongly depressed dorsoventrally; 

 cleft of mouth horizontal; frontal bones 

 triangular in shape, only their posterior 

 halves meeting on the midline; lateral 

 ethmoids short and stout; posteriormost 

 branchiostegal ray ankylosed to ventro- 

 medial margin of subopercle; dorsal fin 

 spine III absent, spine II reduced to a 

 small remnant embedded beneath skin 

 and lying on, or fused to, dorsal surface of 

 pterygiophore just behind base of illicial 

 bone; pelvic fin of one spine and five 

 rays; soft dorsal fin rays 4 or 5; anal fin 

 rays 4 Ogcocephalidae 



Although not all of the sister groups suggested 

 are supported by sufficient data at this time, 

 the following classification of the Lophiiformes 

 is proposed. While the ranking of taxa is not 

 dichotomous (see Methods), internested sets of 

 vertical lines are used to indicate sister-group 

 relationships: 



Order Lophiiformes 



Suborder Lophioidei 



Suborder Antennarioidei 



Family Antennariidae 

 Family Tetrabrachiidae 

 Family Lophichthyidae 

 Family Brachionichthyidae 

 Family Chaunacidae 

 Family Ogcocephalidae 



Suborder Ceratioidei 



As a final note, the genus Histionotophorus , 

 based on a single species, H. bassani (Zigno 1887) 

 from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy, should be 

 mentioned. From the available fossil evidence, 

 this genus does not appear to differ substantially 

 from Brachionichthys , and probably should be 

 synonymized with the latter (Rosen and Patterson 

 1969:442). Reconstructions and photographs of the 

 few known specimens (Eastman 1904, text fig. C. 

 pi. 1, fig. 1-3; Gill 1904; Le Danois 1964:141, fig. 75, 

 76) show the following brachionichthyid features: 

 mouth horizontal; mesopterygoid greatly reduced 

 or absent (?); ectopterygoid absent (?); 22 vertebral 



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