226 PKOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



In 1794 (as appears from the dates on the plates), Sbaw published a 

 number of his "Naturalists' Miscellany", in which he described three 

 fishes under the generic name Lophius. These were designated as — 



(1) Lophms striatus (the Striated Lophius), pi. 175 ; 



(2) Lophius pictus (the Variegated Lophius), pL 176, upper fig. ; and 



(3) Lophius mannoratus (the Marbled Lophius), pi. 176, lower tig. 

 The originals of these are evidently the varieties (a, h, and c) of Lophius 



histrio admitted by Bloch and Schneider. It is quite clear that the first 

 two were based on species of typical Antennarius (not Pterophryne), 

 while the third is incomprehensible, and, if the figure is at all correct, 

 must represent a factitious fish; it most certainly has nothing to do 

 with Fterophryne. The other species, however, notwithstanding the bad 

 figures, are readily identifiable. 



The Lophius striatus (as has recently been recognized by Giinther)* 

 is the first liame of an Antennarius peculiar to the Pacific, and quite dis- 

 tinct from the Caribbean Antennarius scaler {■=A. histrio Gthr.), with 

 wliich it was at first confounded by Glinther.t 



The Lophius pictus was evidently based on the species or variety of 

 Antennarius which was afterwards named Antennarius phymatodes by 

 Bleeker, and it agrees very closely, in the distribution of colors, with a 

 specimen figured by that ichthyologist,| and would probably be consid- 

 ered by Giinther § as a variety of his Antennarius Commersonii. 



But whatever may be the value of the forms embraced under the 

 name Antennarius Commersonii by Giinther, — whether species or varie- 

 ties, — the name Antennarius pictus must be revived from Shaw, either 

 especially for the Antennarius phymatodes of Bleeker or for the collection 

 designated as Antennarius Commersonii. 



It has thus been demonstrated (1) that the Linnaean name Lophius 

 histrio was originally created for the common Fterophryne^ and (2) that 

 the names generally employed for the Fterophryne were originally ap- 

 plied to very different forms, and members of even a different genus. 

 Hence, if the laws of priority as formulated by the British and Amer- 

 ican Associations for the Advancement of Science are to guide us, there 

 can be no question that the species of Fterophryne must hereafter be 

 designated as Fterophryne histrio; if, however, it is allowable to go be- 

 hind even the tenth edition of the Systema Naturse, and to take the 

 oldest binomial name, without other considerations, the designation tu- 

 midus must be revived. It seems best, however, to follow general 

 usage. 



'Giinther, Andrew Garrett's Fische der Siidsee, v. 1, p. 162, 1876. 



t Giinther, Cat. Fishes in Brit. Mus., v. 3, p. 188. 



t Bleeker, Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Nderlandaises, t. 5, pi. 199, fijj. 5, 

 1865. — It must be remarked that Shaw represents 5 ventral rays in his A. pictus, while 

 Bleeker attributes 6 to his A. phymatodes. 



§ Giinther, in Cat. Fishes in Brit. Mus., v. 3, p. 195, has referred Shaw's name to "An- 

 tennarius multioccllatus var. y. — Ieucosoma", but in the "Fische der Siidseo" did not 

 refer to the L. pictus, and places the L. mannoratus as a synonym of A. Commersonii, 

 having evidently transposed the names of the two. 



