484 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



maxillary as long as snout, not reaching anterior edge of orbit, teeth 

 in narrow bands on jaws; about 4 small teeth on the vomer, none on 

 the palatineso, gillrakers on first arch 3+12, the upper 3 very small, 

 the lower series rather long and slender, except the lowermost 2 or 3, 

 which are short; pseudobranchia? large, nostrils with small tubes; no 

 tentacles on head. Membrane of dorsal somewhat thickened, not 

 incised between the spines; anterior raj's rather soft, the posterior 

 ones strong, curved, pungent; height of middle ra3%s 3i in head; mem- 

 brane thickened, especially anteriorly incised between the rays. C-au- 

 dal rounded, li in head; pectoral similar in shape, If in head. 



Head with scales, except on snout and ventral parts; body covered 

 with minute scales; membrane of dorsal with scales between the rays, 

 especially on posterior part; no lateral line. 



Bod}^ olivaceous, vaguely mottled or reticulated with dusky; upper 

 part of head dark; a dark line extending downward from e3"e; dorsal 

 tin with 6 prominent ocelli, which grow longer and less sharpl}^ defined 

 with age, the young often bright green, taking the color of the eel 

 grass in which they live. The species is subject to much variation. 



Fig. 20.— Opisthock.m ] - ils. 



The head measures from 4^ to 6 in the length according to age. The 

 spots in our specimcTis var}' from 5 to Y. The dusky mottling may 

 be absent from the body, or it may ])e very cons})icuous, there being 

 all gradations of color from one locality. Jordan and Evermann note 

 the following variations: Ocelli 5 to 9, usually 6; dorsal 55 to <)!, 

 usually 58 or 59; anal 36 to 39 (including the spines which are counted 

 as rays). 



Some specimens from Petropaulski Harbor (representing O. rrflcii- 

 hiftix Steindachner) have markings on the head and neck much like 

 our (>. zonope. They have, however, vomerine teeth and a larg(>r 

 number of dorsal ocelli and also more dorsal spines, agreeing in those 

 respects with 0. oeeJlatuK. 



Our very manj' specimens are from Hakodate, Aomori, Mororan, 

 and Otaru. We have examined others from Petropaulski. The spe- 

 cies is excessively common in the Bay of Mororan, the young swarm- 

 ing in the eel-grass, Zodera. 



{ocellatus^ with ej^e-like spots.) 



