Jof'dan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 2307 



spine obsolete; no spiue before the ventrals. First dorsal small, of 4 or 5 

 low, stout, pimgent spiuew, connected by nieml)raue to the second dorsal, 

 which is rather high and long; pectorals and ventrals large. Species 

 American, distinguished from the Old World genus, fTrtHoscojJHS, * chiefly 

 by the unarmed head, {ddrpor, star; dMOTteco, to look.) 



a. Naked space between forks of the Y on top of head long and narrow, but shorter 



than the vertical limb of the Y; no distinct spines before eye; sides witli 



round pale spots, each with a dark ring. 



b. Dorsal spines 4, rather high; scales normal. Y-gr^cum, 2644. 



66. Dorsal .spines 5, lower than in y-grcecuni; scales of sides cohering in oblique 



series. zephyreus, 2645. 



aa. Naked sjjace between the forks of the Y short and broad, but longer than the very 



short vertical limb of the Y ; 2 distinct s])iues directed forward before the ej'e; 



sides with small pale spots, not dark-eUged. guttatus, 2646. 



2644. ASTKOSCOPUS Y-GR.ECUM (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



Head, without lower jaw, 2f; ; depth 3i. D. IV-1, 12; A. 13; scales 80; 

 eye 12^ in head ; maxillary 2; pectoral Ij-q ; second dorsal spine 4; highest 

 dorsal ray 2; highest anal ray 3; caudal 1^. Body moderately elongate, 

 very robust forward, greatest depth at occiput; anteriorly subcylindrical, 

 posteriorly somewhat compressed. Head large and broad; mouth large, 

 vertical, a fringe of barbels on each jaw, slightly longer than the diam- 

 eter of the eye; tongue extremely large and fleshy, forming a pad under 

 membrane of lower jaw which projects forward somewhat. Teeth con- 

 ical, small and movable, in many bands in upper jaw, in lowerjaw the 

 teeth are larger and in fewer bands; teeth on vomer and palatines. Eyes 

 very small but prominent, set on top of head; interorbital very wide, 3^ 

 times wider than the eye; bones on top of head coarsely granular; Y-shaped 

 ridge on top of head conspicuous, on each side of which is a broad naked 

 area; naked space between forks of Y on top of head long and narrow, 

 but shorter than vertical limb of the Y which is A'ery long; edges of nos- 

 trils fringed, anterior nostril round, separated from the eye by a high gran- 

 ular ridge ; posterior nostril ending in a long curved furrow, which runs 

 obliquely across the naked area behind eye, its posterior end not curved 

 forward, its length 2^ times the diameter of the eye; 2 or 3 small blunt 

 spines in front of the eye; surface of the bones of opercle, preopercle, 

 and humeral process coarsely granular; gill rakers not developed; pseudo- 

 branchiic small. Head entirely scaleless; belly naked below a line drawn 

 from fifth anal ray to tipper end of pectoral base; fins without scales; 

 scales very small and somewhat embedded. Width of pectoral at base 

 less than ^ length of the head, the upper rays longest, the lower rays 

 very short, graduated from the lower side to the upper; fin somewhat 

 pointed behind and curved up, its tip reaching to the vertical from base 

 of sixth dorsal ray; the rays of ventrals very thick and swollen, theinner 



* The following are the characters of Uranoscopug : Head with spines: humeral 

 spine well developed ; 1 strong spine on subopercle, 4 smaller ones on preopercle, all 

 directed downward; 1 small s]iine directly above and in front of liumeral spine; 4 low, 

 stout protuberances on top of head pointing bnckward ; naked space between eyes 

 extending back to posterior part of orbits; u])per lip and nostrils not fringed : retractile 

 tentacle in mouth more or less develojjed. First dorsal with about 4 pungent spines; 

 scales well developed. 



