^°189i" ] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 717 



of analogous extensions of the postfioiitals and prefrontals* ami tiitMchy 

 the contraction of the frontals to the middle of the cranium — the /'»/;/■ 

 02)odid(v,i the AnnicUidal and Jlelifdirmadila:^ 



V. 



In conclusion T submit the revised syiionymy and dennitioii ui the 

 superfamily Tetraodontoidea nmX diajj^nosesof the tiirec famillirs. Tln*y 

 are essentially the same as those published in 18SI. 



I add copies of the illustrations of the crania of the six j,'oiiera of Tet- 

 raodontoidea published by Hollard. Those who may think I have {^one 

 too far in estimating the values of the groups so ligured may judge 

 from an attempt to recognize the homologies of the boues, how distant 

 some of them are from each other. If they ought all to be combimMl in 

 one genus, surely there should be no dilliculty in recognizing the bouos 

 at once. 



TETRAOl )ONTOII) E A . 

 Si/nonyin as unjuT/amHn iiamt 



<Tetrodoutoidea Gill, Cat. Fishes E. Coast N. A., p. C, 187:5. 

 ==Tetrodontoidea Gill, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mns., v, 7, \>. -tilt, 18tt4. 



Synonyms as family nanus. 

 <08t<^odcrmes Diimfril, Zool. Anal., p. 10!>, 180(5. 

 <^Odontini Iiajincs(iitr, Iiulico d'lttiolog. Siciliaua, p. lU, irflO. 

 <^Osteodia \\I\afnusque, Analyse de la Nature, p. 8l>, 1815. 



<Gyninodonte3 Cuvier, llbg\w Animal, le 6d., t. 2, p. 145, 1817 ; M fed., t. 2, p. .Wl, ]f^iO. 

 <Gyun)odoute8 LatreiUe ,hnir. \at. R<^j,'iic An., p. 11.5, 18"25.iJ 

 <Tetraodontida' Bonaparte, Giorn. Arcad. di Scicnzo, v. 52 (Saggio I)istriJ(. .Mot<Ml. 



Animali Verteb., a Sangne Freddo, p. 39), 1832. 

 <Tetraoilontidie Bonaparte, Nuovi Annali delle Sci. Nat., t. 2. p. 131, 18:W; t. I. p. 



180, 1840. 

 <Premit''re faniille [des Plectognatbes] Darcste, Ann. Sc. Nat. (3), v. 14, p. 117, l"%.0. 

 <Gymnodoutida> Adams, Mannal Nat. Hist., jt. 1)5, 1854. 

 -Tetraodoiii.-ns Bihron, Revn<> ct Mag. Zool., (2), t. 7, p. 27;i, l^.^'). 

 <Gymnodontid;e Girard, Expl. and Snrv. for R. R. Rontr to I'aoili.- (>r.>nn. v. in. 



Fishes, p. 339, 18:8. 



• It is not meant, by the use of the word.s prefrontals and postfrontals, lo imply that 

 the boues so called in lishes are the same as thosi^ of the same name in reptiles. In- 

 deed, there appear to be few (and possibly no) bones precisely lionu.logonM in roptil.'s 

 and fishes, honioplasy (in the word of Ray Lankester) |.revailing ratht-r than homol- 

 ogy. lUit the honionyiMons bones cover corresponding n-gions and tln-re is appar- 

 ently no reason why their modifications are not of approximately «qual vulnc in the 

 two cases. 



tThe Vyfjopodidiv have "the pra- and postlrontals in contact, separating the 

 frontal from the orbit." (B., o. c, v. 1, p. 2.39). " Thcstracture of the aknll i«mo«t 

 similar to that of Geckos, but dillers in two points: (I) the separation of the fron- 

 tal from the orbit by the union of the i>r;e- and post frontal, a character which 

 is shared by Hclodcrma ; (2) the rednction <.f th.> nninl.tr of bones in the maiiiliblo, in 

 which respect they resemble the snakes." (H., o. r., p. 239.) 



tThe Anniellida- are said to have the"pra- and postorbital in cont.ict, Hcparaiing 

 the frontal from the border of the orbit."' (H., o. c, v. 2, p. 2l»l». ) 



^ The Ih'lodtnnatidn' have the"pra>-and postfrontals in contact, separating the 

 frontal from the orbit." (H.,o. c v, 2. p. 301.) 



II Osteodia = Gymuodoutes -f- Ostracodermi. 



