246 SUB-CLASS (AND ORDER) TELEOSTEl. 



the tropics and abysses. Bad swimmers ; those found near the 

 coasts lurk in the mud or sand or among stones or sea-weed, 

 while the pelagic forms attach themselves to floating sea-weed. 



Fam. 123. Lophiidae. Lophius Art., frog-fishes, anglers ; L. pisca- 

 torius L. (Fig. 129), with above-mentioned names ; also monk-fish, toad- 

 fish, sea-devil ; the anterior tentacle terminates in a lappet resembling 

 a worm or piece of meat ; is movable and is used as a bait ; the terminal 

 lappet can be rapidly regenerated ; their spawn has the form of floating 

 sheets of mucus, often of large size ; remarkable for their voracity. 

 Ceratias, Himantolophus, Melanocetus, Oneirodea, Mancalias, Cryptoaaras, 

 Linophryne are abyssal ; Antennariua is pelagic ; Chaunax, Malthe (Ogco- 

 cephalua), Halieutaea, Dibranchua, Aegaeonichthya, Lophiomue, Ptero- 

 phryne. 



Sub-order 13. PLECTOGNATHI. 



With rough scales or with ossifications of the cutis in the form 



Fig. 130. — Ostracion triqueter (Regne animal). 



of scutes or spines ; skin sometimes entirely naked. Skeleton 

 incompletely ossified, with the vertebrae in small number. Gills 

 pectinate, a narrow gill-opening in front of the pectoral fins. 

 Mouth narrow ; the bones of the upper jaw generally firmly united. 

 A soft dorsal fin opposite to the anal ; sometimes elements of 

 spinous dorsal as well. Pelvics none or reduced to spines. Air- 

 bladder without duct. Scapula suspended to cranium by a post- 

 temporal. Inactive fishes, chiefly of the tropics. 



Tribe 1. SCLERODERMI. 



Supraclavicle vertical ; somactids not enlarged, movably attached 

 by ligament to the scapula and coracoid ; all the vertebrae with a single 

 neural spine ; dentary and articular co-ossified. 



Fam. 124. Triacanthidae. Covered with hard or spinous scales, 

 teeth separate, with spinous dorsal, pelvics paired. Indian and W. 

 Pacific Oceans. Triacanthua ; Triacanthodea ; Halimochirurgua, deep-sea. 



