STARGAZER FISHES — BERRY AND ANDERSON 575 



Pearson 1941, p. 98, fig. 25); in larger sizes (at least by 43 mm. S.L.) 

 the frontal bones exposed posteriorly on the head, with their medial 

 proeesses forming an exposed Y-shaped proeess that extends anteriorly 

 to between or just behind the eyes, and with the area within the fork 

 of the Y and lateral to it covered by skin; in large specimens the basal 

 arm of the Y short and broad and the skin-covered area only moder- 

 ately enlarged; least width of the basal arm of the Y about 2.5 to 3.8 

 percent of standard length in sizes larger than 100 nun. S.L. Posterior 

 nostrils each in a fringed groove curving around behind the eye; 

 posterior end of nostril groove usually closer to posterior margin of 

 skin-covered area over electric organs than to eye or not much closer 

 to eye; distance from eye to end of rear nostril groove (a in plate 1g) into 

 distance from end of rear nostril groove to posterior margin of skin- 

 covered area (b in plate 1g) about 0.5 to 1.0 times (at sizes above 40 

 nun. S.L.). Lower jaw without a pair of prominent converging 

 bony ridges. 



Preoperculum and operculum without spines or processes. Clei- 

 thral spine small, laterally compressed, covered by skin and adpressed 

 to body. Scales present on body and extending onto fleshy part of 

 caudal fin; scales absent on head, an area posterior to the pectoral fin 

 bases, the throat and abdomen, between the lateral lines and the dorsal 

 fin, and a narrow area along the anal fin base. Lateral lines on each 

 side of body extending from head along back close to dorsal fin, 

 bending down through central part of caudal base onto fleshy part of 

 caudal fin, then bending anteriovcntrally to unite at bottom of caudal 

 base. 



Color: Body and head generally dusky above and light below; tip 

 of lower jaw and upper part of head and body to end of dorsal base 

 with many small and irregular white spots; a dark stripe extending 

 along middle of caudal peduncle; a large elongated black blotch on 

 (vi eh side of chin. Spinous dorsal fin black. Soft dorsal fin with 

 about 4 oblique black bars. Anal fin with an elongated blackish 

 stripe extending across most of the soft rays. Pectoral fins dusk}* over 

 most of fin, tending to become black near tip, and with a narrow light 

 margin. Pelvic fins mostly clear with a dusky or dark spot between 

 distal ends of last two rays. Caudal fin with about three black stripes. 



Size: Largest specimen reported, 12% inches total length (about 

 220 mm. S.L.), from Chesapeake Bay (Hildebrand and Schroeder, 

 1927, p. 331). Smallest specimens reported, 2.5 to 5 mm. T.L. and 

 23 mm. T.L. (Pearson, 1941, p. 98, figs. 24-25). Largest specimen 

 examined 215 mm. S.L. Smallest specimen examined 37 mm. S.L. 

 Dahlgren (1927, p. 358) reported specimens as Astroscopus (presum- 

 ably this species) from several miles off the Virginia coast that were up 

 to 22 inches in total length and weighed up to 15 or 20 pounds. 



