Jordan and Evcrmann. — Fishes of North America. 2115 



toward the dorsal fln, while the hinder part is elongate, much compressed, and tapering. 

 The more important of the distinguishing features may he summarized as follows : Head 

 short, broad, rounded; snout short, blunt; mouth anterior; lips distinct; teeth small, 

 numerous, in a cardiform band, ti-icuspid on intermaxillaries and dentary, simple on 

 pharyngeals; eyes lateral, small to medium; nostrils, 2 on each side, with short, project- 

 ing tubes; olfactory nerve short ; brain elongate ; glossohyal rudimentary or absent; gills 

 3 double and 1 single; gill rakers witli denticles ; pseudobranoliiiE present; gill opening 

 small, above the pectoral; branchiostegal rays 6; branchial membranes not free; tubes 

 and pores of the lateral system forward of the gill aperture; dorsal and anal elongate, 

 more or less closely united with the caudal, with some anterior rays unsegmented ; pec- 

 torals broad, procurrent under the throat; ventrals transformed into an adhesive disk, 

 situated below the gills between the pectorals ; skin thin, loosely attached, smooth, except- 

 ing a sexual oVitgrowth on males in breeding season; stomach siphonal; pyloric c;eca 

 numerous; intestine elongate ; urinary bladder large, simple; kidneys long, fused a por- 

 tion of their length; liver large, with partial divisions into lobes; gall bladder small, 

 rounded; skeleton not heavily ossified, less in deep-sea forms; upper limb of preopercn- 

 lum expanded backward; operculum small; subopereulum narrow; interoperculum elon- 

 gate, styliform : third suborbital produced backward, in a long, slender process, to the 

 hinder edge of the preoperculum. 



The species of Liparis inhabit the colder waters of the north and of the south of both 

 Atlantic and Pacific, ranging to great depths. Among those frequenting the shores, if 

 not also the others, vegetation seems to form a portion of the food. The contents o: the 

 stomachs are miscellaneous lots of small marine animals (Crustacea, worms, mollusks, 

 small fishes, etc.), mixed with which are quantities of seaweeds. Some variation exists 

 in regard to feeding habits among the different species. The teeth of some show no 

 signs of wear from hard food, but in L. niucosus they are ground off and blunted, no doubt 

 by contact with the hard-shelled Crustacea and hard-scaled agonoid fishes, remains of 

 which are found in the stomachs. Very likely L. pulchellus turns his peculiar snout to 

 account by rooting in the mud or sand among the plants, or in turning over the pebbles. 

 Certain species are flitted for a life in beds of seaweed, others are probably more abundant 

 in rocky places. 



LiPAEIS : 

 a. VertebrtB in moderate number, about 39 ; dorsal rays about 35 ; anal rays 27 to 30. 

 6. Gill openings very narrow, entirely above base of pectoral ; pectoral rays from 34 

 to 37; head a little shorter than broad, and a little longer than deep; dorsal 

 and anal slightly joined to caudal; caudal n.irrow, its rays 12. lip.^ris, 2449. 

 bb. Gill openings broad, the lower part considerably below base of upper ray of 

 pectoral, 

 c. Pectoral rays 30 ; head low, flattish, J longer than broad, ^ broader than 

 deep; jaws subequal; dorsal free from caudal, which is slightly joined 

 to anal ; caudal narrow, of 12 rays. cyclopus, 2450. 



cc. Pectoral rays 41 to 43 ; head short, not quite as wide as long ; caudal 15 to 

 20; the dorsal and anal slightly joined to its base. fucensis, 2451. 



Caebliparis (/capa, head; Liparis): 

 aa. VertebriB about 46; dorsal rays 39 to 44; anal rays 33 to 3G; dorsal and anal largely 

 joined to caudal. 

 d. Pectoral rays 30 to 36. 



e. Gill opening small, its lower edge not below first ray of pectoral ; nostrils 

 small, the tubes short or absent. 

 /. Posterior nostril scarcely tubular ; fins plain, not distinctly mottled or 

 barred; body robust; its color plain brownish or with dark spots, 

 jr. Dorsal rays 39 or 40 ; anal 33 ; pectoral 30 to 34. tuxicatus, 2452. 

 gg. Dorsal rays 44 ; anal 35; pectoral 37. herschelinus, 2453. 



ff. Posterior nostril tubular, fins more or less mottled or barred, body 

 moderately elongate ; lower rays of pectoral rather short, not J head, 

 not reaching beyond ventral disk: body mottled usually with con- 

 centric rings. AOASSizii, 2454. 



