Jordan and Evcrmajin. — Fishes of North America. 1977 



spiucs; iK'hind these an irregular hrokcn ridge on each side of the vertex, 

 extending to the occiput; outside of this another ragged ridge; subor- 

 bital stay strong, striate ; njiper preopercular spine very long, straight, 

 simple, striate at base, longer than eye; a similar but shorter spine below 

 it, not \ as long, and the usual downward-directed spine at lower edge of 

 preopercle and subopercle; opercular spine moderate. Skin of top of 

 head thin, with small, smooth warts, not hiding the occipital ridges; no 

 cirri. Mouth rather large, the maxillary reaching beyond eye, \ length of 

 head ; skin of body with some scattered rough tubercles, usually nearly 

 smooth. Dorsals not very high; dorsal spines slender; pectorals reaching 

 anal; ventrals moderate, 1,3. A minute pore usually present behind last 

 gill, this sometimes wholly wanting. Lateral line complete. Dark olive 

 above, much variegated with darker and reddish; belly mostly whitish ; 

 sides and belly (in males) with numerous blackish reticulations surround- 

 ing large round white spots ; jaws dusky, mottled with whitish ; membrane 

 joining maxillary to preorbital lilack, with round white spots in the adult, 

 more or less plain in the yoTing ; fins, all but the ventrals, mottled and 

 barred with blackish and yellowish. Length \\ to 2| feet. Alaska to 

 Kamchatka; abundant throughout IJering Sea, and southward along the 

 islands to Puget Sound ; one of the largest sculpins and everywhere familiar 

 to fishermen. Dr. Gilbert found it abundant about Unalaska and in Bris- 

 tol Bay. Mr. Scofield found it at Chignek Harbor, and we obtained it 

 about the Pribilof * and Commander Islands and at Petropaulski. {noX.vz, 

 many; axcrj'Oa-, spine; HE^aXi), head.) 



Oottus polyacanthoce2)halus, Pallas, Zoogr. Ros80-Asiat.,ni, 133, 181], Aleutian Islands; 

 no definite locality; Gunther, Cat., n, 166; Jordan &. Gilbert, Synopsis, 704, 1883. 



2352. MTOXOCEPHALUN JACK (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



D. VIII to X, 15 to 17; A. 13 to 15 (usually D. IX, 16; A. 14). This spe- 

 cies has a very slender body and an extremely wide, iiat head, the latter 

 strikingly triangular when viewed from above, on account of the regular 

 way in which it tapers toward the snoTit, The species is further distin- 

 guished by possessing but 9 dorsal spines and by the presence in the adult 

 of an irregular series of circular spinous plates above the lateral line, these 

 plates wanting in very young individuals. They begin to make their 

 appearance in specimens 6 inches long, and are invariably present in 

 larger specimens. In adults, the region below the lateral line contains 

 strong spinous prickles mostly concealed in the skin and directed back- 

 ward. Some of the anterior ones may be broader and may have more than 

 one point, but none is circular with a rosette of short spinous points, as 

 is the case with the dorsal series. Lower jaw included; top of head cov- 

 ered with small warts; scapular spine short and sharp; humeral spine 

 obscure ; upper preopercular spine very long, nearly as long as eye, low, 

 sharp, 3 times length of next spine, not quite reaching tip of opercular 



* Several specimens from Unalaska, where the species is abundant, and 1 from Robben 

 Island, the latter perfectly typical in all respects and giving us the first Kamchat- 

 kan record for the species. In the Robben Island specimen, the pectoral rays are rough- 

 ened on their inner surface with horny tubercles, as is usual with .adult males of this 

 species. The fin rays are : D. X, 14 ; A. 12 ; P. 18. 

 3030 47 



