no. 3647 PERCIFORM FISHES — GOSLINE 63 



terygoid is never, to my knowledge, more than a narrow strut, and 

 the metapterygoid frequently has a vertical crest along the posterior 

 border of its outer face (fig. 86). 



The zoarceoids are one of the major marine, cold-water groups. 

 They are found in both hemispheres but are primarily and basically 

 northern. In depth, they range from the intertidal region to the deep 

 sea. They are generally demersal but at least Zaprora and Lycodapus 

 have developed secondarily a pelagic habit. "Zoarces" viviparus is 

 unusual in being a viviparous form that frequently occurs in water of 

 reduced salinity (Schmidt, 1917). 



The foregoing account has been based largely on inshore forms that 

 are more readily available and that have been investigated much more 

 thoroughly (e.g., Makushok, 1958, 1961a, 1961b). These give an im- 

 pression of homogeneity that may be belied when the more peculiar 

 of the deep-water and pelagic "zoarceoids" have been studied more 

 intensively. Of those that have been reported on, Zaprora (Chapman 

 and Townsend, 1938) is, as McAllister and Krejsa (1961) pointed out, 

 a not too abnormal stichaeid-like form; however, the so-called zoarcid 

 Melanostigma, judging from Yarberry's (1965) description, gives 

 every indication of being a modified notothenioid and not a zoarceoid 

 at all. Thus, a basisphenoid, unknown in zoarceoids, is present in 

 Melanostigma. Its parasphenoid wings are low and do not extend up to 

 the pleurosphenoids in front of the prootic (Yarberry, 1965, p. 445, 

 fig. 2). There are only three pectoral actio nosts. Finally, Melanostigma 

 has seven branchiostegal rays, a number found throughout the Bovicti- 

 dae and in most of the Trichonotidae, but only among the Anarhi- 

 chadidae of the zoarceoids (see p. 44). 



Even the inshore zoarceoids, however, despite their morphological 

 homogeneity and peculiarity, have caused what would seem to be an 

 unnecessary amount of taxonomic confusion. Regan (1912d, 1913), 

 for example, placed the Bathymasteridae in the suborder Percoidei 

 and then mixed the remaining zoarceoid families in with the tropical 

 blennies. Hubbs (1952) and Makushok (1958) rectified the latter 

 error. As already noted, the two groups differ significantly in skull 

 (see fig. 10) and fin structure and even in the number of nostrils. 



The Bathymasteridae seem to be a perfectly good zoarceoid family 

 in both skeleton and soft anatomy. In two features it stands on the 

 percoid side of the Zoarceoidae and, hence, may be considered the 

 most generalized family in the group. First, the pelvic fin contains a 

 spine and five soft rays; in all other zoarceoids, the pelvic fin is reduced. 

 Second, the ramus lateralis accessorius (Freihofer, 1963, p. 136) has 

 a percoid-type pattern, rather than one which is of the ophidiid- 

 brotulid type (in Zoarcidae), or reduced (in Pholidae or Stichaeidae) . 

 Rosen (in Greenwood, et al., 1966, pp. 389, 397), primarily on the 



