1988 Bulletin 47, United States National Ahisetim. 



eacli eye and 1 at the occiput ; the spine on the suprascapuhi is forked, and 

 the lower fork is twice the length of the other. The upper preopercular 

 spine is about \ longer than the second. {itXarVi, broad; HEqiaXi), head.) 



Cotttis platyci'phalus* Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso- Asiat., ni, 135, 1811, Kamchatka; after Stel- 



LER ; CUVIEE &. VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss., IV, 177, 1829. 

 Cottus tcenioptervt, Kner, Sitzber Ak. Wiss. Wien, Lvni, 1868, 18, Taf. 14, fig. 10, Decastris 



Bay, near mouth of Amur River. (No. 5574, Mus. Wien.) 

 Megalocottus platijcephalns, GiLL. Proc. Ac. Nat, Sci. Pliila. 1861,166. 



2300. MEGALOCOTTUS LATICEPS (Gilbert). 



This species difters from M. platyccplialus (iwniopterus, as shown in Kner's 

 figure) in the following respects: The interorbital width is greater, If 

 times the diameter of the eye in laiiceps, equaling the eye iu plaiijceplialus. 

 Similarly the distance between the anterior ends of occipital ridges is If 

 times diameter of eye iu laUceps, equal to eye in platyceplialus. Conspicu- 

 ous supraorbital and occipital tubercles in laticeps, each surmounted by a 

 fleshy filament; in phiiyceplialus "crown and occiput are without promi- 

 nences or spines, covered only with naked warty skin." In laticeps the 

 preopercle has 2 diverging spines, a single downwardly directed spine 

 below them. In pJaiycephalus are 2 downwardly directed spines below the 

 angle. The ventrals are much shorter, not reaching vent when depressed, 

 while in phdyccphalua they reach the anal palilLe. The dorsals are also 

 much lower in laiiaps. The principal features of this species are the very 

 broad fiat head, short wide snout, projecting lower jaw, the 2 pairs of 

 cephalic tubercles provided with tubercles, the verrucose head, the very 

 short preopercular spines, the large pore behind the last gill, the presence 

 of circular spinous plates above the lateral line and prickles below it. 

 Head and anterior part of body broad, depressed, the depth of head, at 

 occiput. It in its greatest width, its length 2| in body. Body tapering to 

 a slender caudal peduncle, whose least height is equal to diameter of eye. 

 Depth of body 4 to 4| in length. Interorbital space very wide, shallowly 

 concave, its width 1^ times diameter of orbit, and 4 to 4^ in head. The low 

 supraocular ridge ends in a blunt tubercle above hinder margin of eye which 

 grows higher with age, depressed, bounded by 2 low ridges which con- 

 verge very strongly toward the nape, where they curve out again in low 

 rounded tubercles: the inclosed depressed area is twice as wide anteriorly 

 as it is at the narrowest posterior part. A strong temporal ridge, less dis- 



* The following is the substance of Pallas's account of Cottus platycejihalus. D. VII-12 ; 

 A. 11; CIO; P. 15; V. I, 3. Head large, much depre.ssed, as though crushed, as broad aa 

 body.' Tail slender; mouth large, lower jaw projecting; teeth on vomer, none on pala- 

 tines. Belly much inflated. Nostrils tubular. Eyes moderate, near together; vertex 

 Hat behind the eyes, with a ridge on each side, in front of which, near the orbit, is a 

 bony tubercle; behind at the nape, oblong tubercles, each ending in a short spine; pre- 

 opercle with 2 very strong, diverging spines above ; ()i)ercle with a concealed spine ; lateral 

 line with concealed, elongate plates ; between it and the dorsal some round very rough 

 warts, smaller ones below ; pectorals large ; dorsal spines feeble. Olivaceous, much varie- 

 gated with greenish lines on sides of body below; spots large below the tail; dorsiils 

 translucent, varied with brown; caudal yellowish with faint bands; pectorals and anal 

 banded. Length 12 iiulus. Kamchatka. (Palla.s.) Tlie type iu the museum at Berlin 

 has no teeth on the p.Tlatims. Tlu- generic name J/ec/aZoco^MS was origin.ally b.ased on the 

 supposed presence of piilatiiie teeth, a fallacious character. The character of the project- 

 ing chin has, however, generic value. Pallas says: "In area lunata palatio medii et 

 utrinque lineari," which, if we translate it correctly, is not true. 



