A REVIEW OF THE OPHIDIOID FISHES OF JAPAN, 



By David Starr Jordan and Henry W. Fowler, 



0/ (he Leiund Stanford Junior Unh-ersilii. 

 In the present paper the writers give descriptions of the fishes of 

 Japan helonging to the Zom-cida^, OpJddiidx, 5rorf(^*, and related 

 families, known as Ophidioidea. The material exammed is that col- 

 lected bv Jordan and Snyder in 1900, with that belonging to the U. 

 S National IVIuseum, together with certain specimens collected ])y the 

 U. S. Fish Commission steamer Alhatross. The plates are drawn by 

 Mr. William S. Atkinson. 



Group OPHIDIOIDEA. 

 This o-roup, as a whole, agrees with the Blemiioidea in all respects, 

 except 5iat no spines are developed in any of the fins, save sometime^ 

 in the posterior part of the dorsal. From the Anaca^Uhmi, with which 

 the OpJddioidea agree in the jugular ventrals and in the absence ot 

 spines, they are separated by the form of the hypercoracoid, which is 

 perforate, as in ordinary fishes. The group is a very large and variec 

 one widelv distributed in all seas. The characters here used are all 

 superficial', no comparative study of- the skeletons having l>een made. 

 a Pseudobranchia^ well developed, very rarely small or obsolete. 

 ■ h. Ventral fins jugular, inserted much behind the eye, often wantnig, never fila- 



mentous. ^ , ,. 



c Gill-membranes broadly united, free from the isthmus; ventrals wantmg. 



CONGROGADID.F,, 1. 



cc Gill-membranes united to the isthmus, the gill-openings lateral . Zoarcid.f., II. 

 hh. Ventral fins developed as slender filaments attached at the throat not far 

 behind eye. 

 c Gill-membranes nearly separate, free from the isthmus; body scaly. 



Ophidiid.e, 1\ . 



aa. Pseudol)ranchice absent (or rudimentary in some Brotulkhr). 



f Ventral fins wanting; no scales; vent at the throat. Carapid.e, III. 



ff Ventral fins well developed; vent posterior, normal; dorsal fin smgle, 



low; ventral fins short. Brotulid-E, ^ . 



Family I. CONGROGADID.E. 

 Bodv elongate, compressed, naked, or covered with very small scales. 

 Head compressed. Mouth moderate. Horizontal, the lower jaw the 

 lono-er- teeth moderate, no barbels. Gills 4, a slit behind the fourth; 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXV-No. 1 303. 



743 



