1986 



Bulletin //, United States National Mnsenm, 



vertex with numerous slender tentacles; a soft tentacle of moderate 

 length above eye; jaws equal, the lower slightly included; maxillary 

 longer than fourth dorsal spine, 2 in head, reaching hinder margin of orbit. 

 Caudal and ventrals each i length of head; pectoral not reacliing vent; 

 skin smooth. A small .slit behind last gill. Color typically, iiluiost black; 

 sides mottled with lighter brown, sometimes with round white blotches 

 on belly and sides; pectoral plain or with white blotches. Specimens from 

 granitic rocks have sanded coloration corresponding to the hue of the sur- 

 roundings. Pribilof Islands; very abundant in the crevices of black lava 

 rocks of St. Paul and St. George. Also obtained in some abundance about 

 the Komandorski Islands, Medni and Bering. 



This strongly marked species can be readily distinguished by its pecu- 

 liar coloi'ation, the greatly thickened naked skin which partially conceals 

 the short nasal and opecular sj)ines, and the numerous tentacles surmount- 

 ing the warty tubercles on crown and occiput. The fins may be uniformly 

 black with a narrow white tip to the soft rays, or may be more or less 

 variegated with white. On the soft dorsal, these marks are in the form of 

 white spots which may become confluent to form 1 or 2 streaks. In some 

 specimens, the caudal membranes are white in their middle portion the 

 rays remaining black. The under side of head and the maxillary mem- 

 branes are sometimes marked with large blackish spots with ill-detined 

 edges. 



In addition to the minute pores which lie at intervals along the course 

 of the lateral line, the latter gives ofl:' pairs of lateral branches, each of 

 which opens in 3 or more small pores. The sides of the head aie also thickly 

 studded with pores. Owing to the thickened integument, the pectorals 

 and ventrals are more largely adnate to the body than in other species. 

 The fin rays are as follows, in 10 specimens : 



{niger, black.) 



I Cottusrnertensii,* Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Pois8.,^^^, 496, 1831, Petropaulski; 



on a drawing by Mertens. 

 Coitus niger. Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat.Mus., iv, 1881, 151, St. Paul Island, Pribilof Island 



(Coll. H. W. Elliott) ; Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 707, 1883. 

 2fyoxncephalus niger, Jordan &. Gilbert, Kept. Pur Seal Invest., 1898. 



* Cottus mertensii, is thus described : II se rapiirocbe du petit cbaboisseaii de Groenland 

 par le nombre de rayons de I'anale ; niais par ceux des dorsales il est plus voisin du Cottus 

 ocio-d«ctni,-spmo«MS, et il a les epines de la premifere dorsale tout nnssi fortes. "Voioi les 

 nombres compt6s par le naturaliste russe. D.8, 15; A. 12; ('. in-. 1'. is, itc. La tete 

 parait lisse; sans 6pines pres des narines. La pointo du preoprri ulc ir;ittt'iiitpa8 Tangle 

 de I'opercnle. Lescouleurs indiqu^es sur le dessin qui nous a etc iiniii]iiiiii(iu6 ])ar M. de 

 Mertens, 6taient de grandes marbrures de bistre fonc6 sur un fond jaunatre. Ce dessin 

 repr^sente un individu long de buit pouces. 



