Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 2295 



Family CXCV. TRICHODONTID.E. 



(The Sand-fishes.) 



Body rather elongate, compressed, naked. Head short, flat on toii, the 

 sides vertical. Eyes large, high up, but not superior. Mouth large, 

 almost vertical; lower jaw projecting, its tip entering the protile; lips 

 fringed; premaxillaries protractile; maxillary very broad, without sup- 

 jilemental boue, not slipping under the A^ery narrow preorbital. Teeth 

 moderate, slender and sharp, but not setiform, in bands on jaws and 

 vomer; palatines toothless; inner teeth of jaws depressible. Gill rakers 

 short, slender; gill membranes narrowly united, free from the isthmus. 

 Branchiostegals 5. Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth. Pseudobranchiaj 

 large. Preopercle with 5 prominent spines, the 2 upper directed strongly 

 upward, the 2 lower downward, the middle 1 downward and backward; 

 no barbels; opercle small, strougly striate, unarmed; preorbital with 

 spines; no suborbital stay. Lateral line obsolete. Dorsal fins separate, 

 the first the larger, of numerous slender spines; anal fin elongate, with- 

 out distinct spines, the rays of anterior third of the fin much shorter 

 than the others, the beginning of the fin below middle of spinous dorsal; 

 pectorals with a very broad, curved, procurrent base; a broad lunate 

 area between pectoral and gill opening, nearly covered by the opercle ; 

 soft rays of dorsal, anal, and pectoral fins all simple; ventrals I, 5, close 

 together, thoracic, but behind the pectorals, the middle rays longest; 

 caudal Innate, with many accessory rays, on a slender peduncle. Verte- 

 br;o numerous, 48 in typical species. Two genera and 2 species known; 

 from the North Pacific; living in sand near the shore. The fringed lips 

 and other characters indicate the relationship of these fishes with the 

 Uranoscopidw. {Traclihiidw, genus Trichodon, Gunther, Cat., ii, 250.) 



a. First ilorsal long and rather low, of 14 or 15 spines. Trichodon, 850. 



aa. First dorsal abort and high, of 10 spines. Akctoscopus, 851. 



850. TRICHODON (Steller) Cuvier. 



(Sand-fishes.) 



Trichodon, STELLER, in Tilesius, Meru. Acad. St. Petersburg, iv, 1811, 468 (trichodon) . 

 Trichodon, Cuvier, R6gne Animal, Ed. 11, vol. 2, 149, 1829 (trichodon). 



Characters of the genus included above, the first dorsal long and rather 

 low, of 15 spines. One species. ( Op ^'c, hair; 6(5 ovj, tooth.) 



2632. TRICHODON TRICHODON (Tilesius). 

 (Sand-fish.) 



Head from tip of upper jaw, 3+ ; depth 3^. D. XIII-1, 18; A. 28; P. 22; 



eye 4^ in head, snout 4^ ; maxillary 2 ; interorbital 3 ; pectoral 1b ; ventral 

 1|; height of spinous dorsal 3^,. Body moderately elongate, compressed; 

 dorsal outline slightly concave and sloping gently upward from snout to 

 dorsal, thence turning at a very slight angle nearly straight to caudal; 



