PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 321 



ON THE PSYCHROLUTID^ OF GUNTHER, 



1SV THEODORE GILL. 



(With Plato xli.) 



HISTOUICAL. 



In 186T Dr. Albeit Giinther, in the third volume of his "Catalogue 

 of the Acauthopterygian Fishes in the collection of the British Museum" 

 (p. 510), proposed a family Psychrolutidce in the following- terms: 



"Body rather elongate, naked; head large. Teeth small. A single 

 dorsal tin on the tail, without spinous portion ; anal similarly developed 

 as the dorsal; ventrals close together, thoracic, composed of a few rays. 

 Three gills and a half; pseudobranchhe well developed. C ill-opening 

 of moderate width, the gill-membranes attached to the isthmus. 



"West coast of North America. 



"The new fish tor which I have created this family exhibits several 

 characters indicating its natural affinity to the Discoboli and Gobicsoces, 

 which are Acanthopterygians as this Order is understood at present. 

 It is impossible, however, to refer it to one of these or of the other fami- 

 lies without giviug up the chief characters on which they are founded. 

 It agrees — 



"1, With Blenniidce in the structure of the ventral fins, but is distin- 

 guished by the position of these fins and by the total absence of the 

 spinous dorsal. 



"2, With the Discoboli, and especially with Liparis in the structure 

 of the infraorbital bone, in the integuments of the body, &c, but differs 

 from them in the dorsal and ventral fins. 



"3, With the Gobicsoccs in the structure of the dorsal fin, but having 

 uo adhesive apparatus. 



"I, It differs from the Batrachidce and Pediculati in the dorsal and 

 ventral fins, in the gill apparatus, &c. 



"1. PSYCHROLUTES. 



"Characters the same as of the family." 



In the same volume Dr. G-iiuther, in a "systematic synopsis of the 

 families of the Acanthopterygian fishes" (p. ix), exhibited the relations 

 of the fishes, supposed to exist at that time, in the following scbeme: 



Fourteenth division, Acanth. gobiesociformes. 

 No spinous dorsal; the soft and the anal short, or of moderate length, situated 

 on the, tail ; ventral tins subjugular, 5A7, with au adhesive apparatus between them, 

 or entirely absent. Body naked. 



1. An adhesive apparatus between the ventrals. 



42. Gobiesocuhe, in, p. 46t). 

 II. Ventrals none. 



43. Psychrolutida?, m, p. 51G. 



s ~v M * y-w^i 



