Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of Nofth America. 2065 



Closely allied to Podothecus. Body tapering, depressed anteriorly, its 

 depth 6 to 6^, its width ii to 4^ in its length. Head 3f to 4, depressed, 

 about as broad as long. Plates in dorsal series about 31 or 32; between 

 occiput and first dorsal 4 pairs. Plates of body keeled, without spines. 

 Mouth small, subiuferior, lower jaw included; teeth on jaws, none on 

 vomer or palatines. Gill membranes joined to isthmus, with a narrow 

 free fold behind. Numerous scattered barbels on chin, lower jaw, and 

 branchiostegal membrane; a single pair under tip of snout. Snout with 

 2 pairs of upwardly directed spines. Fins short. Northern Europe; 

 ranging to Iceland and Greenland, (a-, without; ycovia, joint, i.e., 

 rigid.) 



2415. AGOXCS I'ATAPHKACTUS, LinniEus. 



(SEA-POACHEE; PoQGE.) 



Br. 6; D. V or VI, 6to8; A. ,5 to 7; P. 15 to 17; V.3(I,2); C.2(3)-7-2(3). 

 Pyloric cajca .5 or 6 (Day). Greatest height, over base of pectorals about 7i, 

 and greatest depth, over preopercles, about 5 in total length; greatest 

 height about 11 in greatest breadth. Vent lies at about } distance from 

 base of ventrals to aual, the distance between it and tip of snout 3^ in 

 total length. Body anteriorly depressed, appearing less so because of 

 prominence of dorsal ridges; posteriorly much narrowed, height about 

 equal to breadth ; anteriorly, from head to about end of first dorsal, hex- 

 agonal; caudal peduncle hexagonal, with dorsal and ventral keels; middle 

 of body octagonal. Plates of body keeled, 4 pairs between head and first 

 dorsal ; about 10 pairs from ventrals to anal ; 10 median plates on pedun- 

 cle; plates in dorsal series about 32. Dorsal and anal fins lie in broad, 

 shallow grooves. Vent between plates of third pair behind ventrals. 

 Head broad, short, its length about 4| in total length ; anteriorly much 

 narrowed, dorsally somewhat concave, ventrally flat. Occipital and tem- 

 poral ridges each with a blunt tubercle or spine. Interorbital space 

 concave, considerably more than longitudinal diameter of orbit. Nasal 

 bones large, fused together, covering the mesethmoid, and armed ante- 

 riorly with 2 pairs of upwardly directed strong spines. Under these, near 

 tip of snout, 1 pair of small barbels. Preorbital scalloped or tuberculated 

 at its free edge, covering maxillary. Suborbital armed with a strong, 

 pointed, outwardly and backwardly directly spine. Lower jaw included, 

 maxillary extending much behind the short premaxillary. Mouth rather 

 small, almost semicircular. Numerous barbels on chin, angles of mouth, 

 and gill membranes. Eyes small, their longitudinal diameter about 5 in 

 head, that of orbit considerably less than snout. Bones of top and sides 

 of head striated. Preopercle with a strong backwardly and upwardly 

 directed spine; the subtriangular opercle without spine. Branchioste- 

 gal rays 6, the membranes united and joined to isthmus, with a fold 

 behind (?). Teeth small on jaws; none on vomer or palatines. First 

 dorsal somewhat rounded, with 5 or 6, usually 5, spines; second dorsal 

 with 6 to 8, usually 8, soft rays, a little higher than first; (about 3 pairs 

 of plates between the adjacent rays of the 2 dorsals) ; anal begins a little 



