1884.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 181 



that there is a close affinity between the two. Indeed, it is quite 

 possible, at least, that Prof. Cope might retain his diagnosis of 

 the Anacanthini, and refer the Brotuloid families to his Scj^pho- 

 branchii by the side of Zoarces and his other Blenniidse. Prof. 

 Emery has also perceived the great differences exhibited in 

 cranial characters by the Ophidioidea from the Gadoidea and has 

 even contended that they should be approximated to the Gobioi- 

 dea.^ In view of these facts, it is evident that the group of 

 Anacanthini not only has a very uncertain tenure, but it may 

 have either to be entirelj' abolished as being an unnatural combi- 

 nation of different types, or to be limited to the Gadoidea. 



But it is possible that the group as retained by the most recent 

 ichthyologists may be even more heterogeneous than has been 

 supposed. Several other types have been generally associated 

 with the forms already indicated, but the pertinence of the Amrao- 

 dytidae,^ Ateleopodidae and Xenocephalidse to it is doubtful, 

 and it is almost certain that the Gadopsidas are not at all 

 related to any of the families already discussed ; nevertheless, to 

 complete the summary of the families generally referred to the 

 Anacanthini, their synonymy and characteristics are here given : — 



AMMODYTID^. 



Family Synonyms, 



= Ammodytidm, Bonaparte, Catal. Metod. Pesci Europei, pp. 7, 40, 1846. 



= Ammodytidm, Gill, Arrangement of Famines of Fishes, p. 8, ]872. 



= Ammodytm, Fitzinger, Sitzungsber. K. Akad. der Wissensch. (Wien), 



B. 67, 1. Abth., p. 43, 1873. 

 = Ammodytidm, Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fishes N. Am., p. 414, 1883. 



Oadidce, s. fam., Bonaparte. 

 Coryphienidie, gen., Swainson. 

 Ophidioidei, s. fam., Bleeker, 

 s. fam., Giinther. 



' "Attenendomi ai risultati delle mie ricerche anatomiche, io debbo, tra 

 le due opinion!, adottare quella del Canestrini e considerare gli Ofidiidei 

 come aflfini di Gobioidi, coi quali hanno caratteri comuni assai importanti, 

 in ispecie nella struttura del cranio." Emery, op. cit., p. 169 ; see also p. 

 187. 



^ The only skeleton at present accessible to me, has been so badly pre- 

 pared that I do not venture to base any opinion upon it. I hope soon to 

 have a clean disarticulated one. 



