506 REVIEW OF NORTH AMERICAN GOBIID^. 



16. GOBIOSOMA. 



GOBIOSOMA Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1858, 169. {Alepidotiim=^ho8ci.) 

 Type Gobius alepidotus Bloch & Schneider =Gobius bosci Lac^pede. 

 The typical species of this genus scarcely differ from the species of 

 Gobius, except iu the absence of scales. Two or three little-kuowu 

 species are, however, in some respects decidedly aberrant, and are per- 

 haps not allied to the others. Of the nnmerous American species of 

 this genus only one is as yet well represented in collections. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF GOBIOSOMA. 



a. Second dorsal short, its rays 10 to 14 iu uumber ; anal rays 10 to 12 ; month not 

 very large, the maxillary not extending beyond orbit, not half length 

 of head. 

 5. Dorsal spines seven. 



c. Chin with a fringe of short barbels (shriveled and invisible in alcoholic speci- 

 men). Body slender, the depth nearly 7 times in length; head 3| 

 times; head narrow and slender, depressed above. Eyes close to- 

 gether, 4 in head ; snout not blnnt ; mouth terminal, oblique, the max- 

 illary reaching to below eye, A in head. Vertical fins high, uo rays 

 filamentous. Upper half of head and body brown, finely speckled ; 

 four oblong colorless areas along base of dorsals and a smaller one 

 on back of caudal peduncle ; lower parts abruptly pale ; back with 

 5 or 6 blackish cross-bars to middle of sides, below which they ex- 

 tend as 5 or 6 short V-shaped projections; a brownish streak below 

 eye ; a small brown bar on base of pectoral ; a jet-black bar at base 

 of caudal. D. VII-10. A. 10 Ceuthcecum, 45. 



CO. Chin without liarbels. 



d. Maxillary extending to below front of orbit ; color blackish, with sharply 

 defined cross-bars of whitish. Body rather short, the depth 5| iu 

 length ; head 3J. Snout low, little obtuse ; mouth large, rather ob- 

 lique, the maxillary 2f in head ; teeth small, in few series above, iu 

 a band below, the outer enlarged. Fins low. Caudal li in head. 

 Cross-bands on body as wide as eye, not quite meeting below ; a dark 

 blotch on base of pectoral, a fainter one on base of caudal ; fins 



nearly plain. D. VII-13. A. 12 Histrio, 46. 



dd. Maxillary extending to below posterior part of orbit ; coloration not sharply 

 defined. 

 e. Body rather short, chubby, the depth about 4 in length; head about 3|; 

 head rounded above. Teeth in several series, slender, the outer ones 

 somewhat elongate, none of the inner ones specially enlarged. Color 

 olivaceous, with dark points ; sides with narrow, alternating light and 

 dark bars; a row of small linear dark spots along middle of sides; 

 first dorsal with three oblique dark bars, second dorsal, caudal, and 

 pectorals finely barred, base and edge of anal light, middle dark. 

 Breast with many well-defined spots. A dark line running forward 

 and downward from eye to angle of mouth, another extending straight 

 down ; a black bar on edge of preopercle, a black spot on upper edge 

 ofopercle. D. VII-13. A. 10. (Otherwise essentially as in G. ?)08ci). 



MOLESTUM, 47. 



ee. Body more elongate, its depth 5 to 6 in body. Head very broad, flattish 



above, with tumid cheeks, its length 3^ in body. Eye small, longer 



than snout, 5 in head. Mouth large, little oblique, the jaws subequal. 



