2088 Bulletin //, United States N'atioyial Museum. 



A very careful comparison of the description and the excellent figures 

 with Odontopi/xis trispinosus, Lockington, with which Steindachner was 

 probably uot acquainted, makes it evident that in spite of its aberraut 

 form, the Hypsagontis swanii is more closely related to it than to any 

 other known species. There is in reality no point of resemblance to 

 H. quadricornis except the shortness of the body aud the compressed 

 condition of its i^osterior part. In all of the following points, some of 

 which Steindachner mentioned as dift'erences between his species and H. 

 quadricornis, B. swanii agrees with 0. trispinosus : Both dorsals and anal 

 small; the distance of the first dorsal from nape and the distance between 

 dorsals (measured by the number of plates); th(^ deep pit at nape; posi- 

 tion of A^ent, with 1 or 2 pairs of plates between it aud the base of the 

 ventrals; 2 or 3 series of small plates between base of pectoral and gill 

 opening; small plates on gill membranes and lower jaw; the longitudinal 

 series of small plates behind orbit; the coloration, etc. The only known 

 specimen was less than 2 inches (50 mm. ) long and was doubtless a young 

 one. The most marked characters which distinguish B. swanii from 

 Odontopxjxis are the shortness of the body, the wideuess of the body in 

 front, aud the compression of the tail ; all are characters which distinguish 

 the young from the adult in all species of the family in which the young 

 h^ve been seen and described, except that here these characters seem 

 exaggerated. (Named for James G. Swan, of Port Townsend, Washing- 

 ton, a veteran observer and collector.) 



Hypsaffonus sivanii, Steindachner, Ichth. Beitriige, v, 144, pi. 4, Sitzb. der Akad. Wiss., 

 Lxxiv, July, 1876, Port Townsend. (CoU. James G. Swan. Typeiu Coll. Mus. Vienna.) 



Bothragonus swanii, GrLL, in Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 728, 1883 ; Jordan, Cat. Fislies 

 N. A., 114, 1885. 



777. ASPIDOPHOROIDES, Laccpode. 



Asindophoroides, Lacepede, Hist. Kat. Poiss., iii, 228, 1802 (tranquebar=monopterygius). 

 Ganthirhynciis, SwAlNSON, Nat. Hist. Fishes, etc., n, 272, 1839 (monopterygius). 

 Anoplagonus, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., xiii, 1861, 259 (inermis). 

 Tllcina, Cramer, in Jodhan & Evermann, Check-List Fishes, 449, 1896 (olnki). 



Body and head more or less slender ; head 4 to 6, width .5 to 8 in length 

 of body ; 8 longitudinal rows of plates, the lateral line in the upper lateral 

 row ; about 40 plates in the dorsal series. Terminal rostral plate present, 

 unarmed; mouth terminal; teeth on jaw,s, vomer, and palatines. Supra- 

 ocular and occipital spines absent; plates of body more or less keeled, 

 without spines. First dorsal absent; second dorsal and anal small, oppo- 

 site each other, each with 4 to 7 rays. C4ill membranes united, narrowly 

 joined to isthmus anteriorly, free behind. (acjTr/j, shield ; dopeoo, to bear ; 

 sldoi, form.) 



TJlcina {ulke, a sculpin, in Danish) : 

 a. Body rather robust, the depth about 5 in length, the head 4 in length; plates in lat- 

 eral line usually less than 40. 

 b. Lateral line with 40 plates ; nasal spines well developed. olriki, 2429. 



bb. Lateral line with 36 to 38 plates; nasal spines very small or obsolete. 



GUNTHERI, 2430. 



