Jordan and Ever matin. — Fishes of North America. 2347 



fins thoracic or subjugular, usually, not much, if any, before the pecto- 

 rals, composed of 2 soft rays each, the spine rudimentary; caudal well 

 developed, the dorsal and anal usually more or less joined to it at base. 



OPHIOBLENNIIN^ : 



c'. Jaws each with 4 strong hooked canines iu front; a hooked posterior 

 canine below ; a cirrus above eye and 1 above nostril ; body scale- 

 less ; caudal fin forked; dorsal fin notched; body not eel-shaped; 

 dorsal and anal free from caudal; ventrals small. 



Ophioblennius, 894. 

 cc'. Jaws with numerous teeth, not as above; caudal fin not forked. 

 Emblejiakiin^ : 

 d'. Body not eel-shaped; dorsal and anal not joined to caudal; no 

 scales; no cirri; no lateral line; ventrals before pectorals; 

 teeth on palatines; caudal flu rounded. 

 e'. Dorsal fin very high, not notched, the spines passing grad- 

 ually into the soft rays; jaws long, sharp at tip. 



Emblemaria, 895. 

 dd'. Body elongate or eel-shaped; the dorsjal and anal low, joined to 

 base of caudal. 



CH^NOPSINvE : 



/'. Ventrals subjugular, more or less before pectorals; pala 

 tines with teeth; jaws long and sharp. 

 g'. Jaws with strong teeth, not as above described; dor- 

 sal fin with its anterior half of flexible spines, the 

 posterior half of soft rays, the former gradually 

 passing into the latter; jaws long, pike-liko; 

 ventrals inserted slightly before pectorals; anal 

 with 2 spines; a villiform band of teeth in each 

 jaw behind anterior teeth. 

 /i'. Vomer toothless. Dorsal rays about XVIII, 38 ; 

 anal II, 38. Ch.enopsis, 896. 



hh'. Vomer with a few teeth. Dorsal rays XVIII, 

 32 ; anal II, 30. Lucioblennius, 897. 



PHOLIDICHTHTIN^ : 



J'. Ventrals subthoracic, inserted below pectorals; teeth in 



jaws uniserial; anal fin without spines. 



i' . Dorsal fin continuous, its spines indistinguishable 



from the soft rays. Pholidichthys, 898. 



it'. Dorsal divided into 2 fins, the anterior portion of 3 



flexible spines behind the nape. 



Psednoblennips, 899. 

 II. Blennies arctic or subartic; the vertebrse in large number, tisually 50 or more; lat- 

 eral line various, usually median; dorsal fin usually without soft rays; scales small, 

 cycloid, rarely wanting. 

 )' . Gill openings not continued forward below, the membranes broadly united, some- 

 times joined to the isthmus; ventral flus small or obsolete; scales small, cycloid. 

 A'. Pectoral fins short or wanting, never pointed, and never more than \ head; 

 pyloric cfeca asually, but not always, obsolete. 

 V . Body not covered with crosswise tubes at right angles to the lateralline. 

 tn'. Dorsal fin composed of spines only. 



StATHMONOTIN^ : 



n'. Body scaleless; ventrals moderately developed; anal spines 2; 

 no lateral line; no pseudobranchire. Stathmonot0s, 900. 

 nn' . Body covered with small smooth scales. 



CHIKOLOPHIN.E: 



o'. Ventral fins well developed, of 1 spine and 3 rays; no 

 anal spiues; top of head with many cirri; a row of 

 large pores above base of pectorals ; gill membranes 

 free from isthmus ; no pyloric caaca. 



