57G CLASSIFICATION OF THii! MAIL CHEEKED FISHES. 



other characters are interchangeable or alternative, and not necessa 

 rily coordinated with the essential characters in question. 



The manner and extent to which the groups and families recognizee 

 by Dr. Giinther traverse the superfamilies and families adopted in tin 

 present article will appear from the following exhibit, in which the firs 

 column gives the groups of Giinther, the second the families hereii 

 adopted, and the third the superfamilies which embrace them. 



Groups and families of Giinther.* 



1. A. perciformes : 



Scorpsenidae -^ 



I 

 8. A. cotto-scombriformea: 



( lottidae 



Catapbracti 



10. A. blenniformes: 



Eeterolepidotidae 



Families of Gill. 



Superfamilies of Gill. 



ScorpssnidSB | Scorpaenoidea. 



Congiopodidsel I 



Heniitripteridse Cottoidea. 



Caracanthidse ( Kcorprenoidea. 



Synanceidae . > 



Cottidre . Cottoidea. 



Synanceidae Scorpaenoidea. 



Platycephalidae I Platycepbaloidea. 



Hoplicbtbvidas 5 J ; 



Trigloidea. 



Hopl 



Triglidae .'.. 



Rhamphocottidse 



Agouidae 



Peristediidffi 



Dactylopteridae 



Hexagramniidae 



lthainpbocottoidea. 

 Agonoidea. 

 Trigloidea. 

 Dactylopteroidea. 



Scorpaenoidea. 



COPE. 



In 1871, Professor Cope presented to the American Association fo 

 the Advancement of Science an elaborate communication on the sys 

 tematic relations of the trne fishes. It is especially noteworthy for th 

 attention which was paid to modifications of the skeleton, and abov 

 all of the pharyngo branchial apparatus. His order of Percomorpli 

 which embraced most of the Acanthopterygians of Cuvier, was divide 

 into seven groups, of which the third was named Scyphobranchii an! 

 the fifth Distcgi. 



The group Scyphobranchii was named for those Percomorphs whic 

 have the "basis crauii simple, no tube, post-temporal furcate; superic 

 pharyngeals shortened; fourth and first generally wanting; third larffl 

 basin shaped; second generally scale like or co-ossified with third 

 scapula with median foramen ; dorsal radii usually soft." 



To this group, among others, were referred the family Cottidce (wit 

 the genera Uranidea, Cottus, Leptocottus, Hemitripterut, and Scorpt 

 nichthys) and the group Aspidophorida'. 



The Disteoi are those Percomorphs having the "basis cranii doubl 

 with muscular tube, post-temporal bifurcate; scapula with median for: 

 men; basal pectorals three or four, short, quadrate ; superior pharyi 

 geal bones four; third always the largest, longitudinal, more or « 



*1h*PsychrolutUbe and Oyelopteridce of Dr. Gunther are also true mail-oheeked fishes, althod 



nm a i regarded by that, gentleman. The Ptyeh >luti I < in Leed, so far as yet known, are not dist 



liable from the Cotti.hr. (See Proc. U. S. Nat Mas., 1888, pi>. 321-327.) 

 " I The Oongiopodidce (or Agriopodidce) are not true mail cheeked fishes, but rather related to t 

 rut.icidee, which have been associated by Dr. Giinther with the Bkuniidcv. 



