Jordan and Evcruiann. — Fishes of North America. 2713 



66. Pseiidobranchiiv none ; pseudobracliia with 3 actinosfs. 



e. Ventrals present ; arm aiigulate, the pseudobrachia elongate. 



Antennariid.e, ccxxn. 

 cc. Ventrals wanting, arm not anguhite, the pseudobrachia moderate. 



Ceratiid.k, ccxxiii, 



aa. Gill openings in or behind the upper axil of the pectoral; mouth small, usually 



inferior. Ogcocephalid.e, ccxxiv. 



Family CCXXI. LOPHIID^. 



(The Anglers.) 



Head wide, depressed, very large. Body contracted, conical, tapering 

 rapidly backward from the shoitlders. Mouth exceedingly large, t(Tmiual 

 opening into an enormous stomach; upper jaw protractile; maxillary 

 without supplementary bone; lower jaw projecting; both jaws with very 

 strong, unequal, cardiform teeth, some of the teeth canine-like, most of 

 them depressible; vomer aud palatines usually with strong teeth. Gill 

 openings comparatively large, in the lower axil of the pectorals. Pseu- 

 dobranchia^ present. Gill rakers none. Gills 3. Skin mostly smooth, 

 naked, with many dermal flaps about the head. Spinous dorsal of 3 iso- 

 lated, tentacle-like spines on the head, and 3 smaller ones behind, which 

 form a continuous tin; second dorsal moderate, similar to the anal; pec- 

 toral members scarcely geniculated, each with 2 actinosts and with elon- 

 gate pseudobrachia; ventrals jugular, I, 5, widely separated, large, much 

 enlarged in the young. Young with the head spinous. Pyloric ca>ca 

 present. Two genera, ^th 4 or 5 species, living on sea bottoms, at mod- 

 erate or great depths; remarkable for their great voracitj^. (PedicuhUi, 

 part, genus Loplnu>i, Giinther, Cat., iii, 178-182, 1861.) 



a. Vertebra} 27 to 31. Lophius, 1058. 



aa. Vertebrae 18 or 19 only. Lophiomus, 1059. 



1058. LOPHIUS (Artedi) Linntcus. 

 (Fishing-Frogs.) 



Lophius (Aetkdi) Linn.eus, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1, 236, 1758 (inscatoritis). 



Characters of the genu.s included above. Vertebrie numerous, about 30 

 in number. (Lophius, the ancient name of L. piscatorius, from Ao0oS, a 

 crest.) 



3091. LOPHIUS PISCATORIUS, Linnieua. 



(Common ANGLER; Fishing-Frog; Monkfish; Goosefish; All-Mouth ; Bellows-Fish.) 



D. I-I-I, III-IO; A. 9. Body depressed, tapering, scarcely longer than 

 head. Humeral spine Avith 3 points, of which the posterior is the longest. 

 Head surrounded with a fringe of barbels; top of head, in young, with 

 many strong spines. Anterior dorsal spine elongate, fleshy at tip. Brown- 

 ish, mottled, below white ; mouth behind the hyoid bone immaculate ; pec- 

 torals and caudal black at tip; peritoneum black. Length 3 feet. North 

 3030 93 



