NO. 1358. JAPANESE SCULPINS— JORDAN AND STARKS. 277 



filaments at occiput on ang'lc of ridge, and a pair on outer edge of 

 ridge a short distance l>ehind eye. Preopercular spine very short; its 

 tip not reaching over two-tifths of distance from its base to end of 

 opercular flap; it is very slightly curved upward. The spine next 

 below is not half as long; it points backward and slightly downward; 

 the lower end of preopercle ])ears the usual forward-directed sjjuie; 

 the spine on subopercle is very small; opercular ridge rather low and 

 rounded, ending in a spine. Posttemporal spine long and sharp, 

 scarceh" reaching to above tip of opercular spine. Humeral spine 

 scarcely developed; completely covered by opercular flap. Sulwrbital 

 staj' low; not keeled. Top of head rather thickly covered with large 

 warts; skin of body with ver}' nnich scattered, tine spines, sometimes 

 double, not at all of the nature of the rough, l)ony plates sometimes 

 found in other species. 



Tips of dorsal spines, when tin is depressed, reach to ba.se of second 

 or third dorsal ray. Soft dorsal moderately high; not at all connected 

 with spinous dorsal; the last ray adnate to caudal peduncle; tips of 

 last ra3's reach beyond those of anal. Pectoral broadl}- i-ounded, 

 reaching to opposite front of soft dorsal. Ventrals reaching three- 

 fifths of distance from their base to front of anal. Caudal slightly 

 convex, either closed or open. 



Color light brown above, white below; no crossbars or radiating 

 lines a})out eye; branchiostegal region and under part of mandible 

 very slightl}' dusky, mottled with round white spots; pectoral dusky, 

 somewhat barred with white spots; dorsals irregularh^ mottled with 

 light dusk}-; anal light dusky, obliquely crossed with faint light lines; 

 caudal dark, crossed with very narrow faint white lines; ventrals white. 



Our specimens of this species were collected b}^ Messrs. Jordan and 

 Snyder, at Same, Mororan, and Hakodate. A specimen was obtained 

 in 18!t6 at Iturup Island by the U. S. Fish Connnission steamer Alha- 

 tross. Here described from a specimen from Same, 27 cm. in liMigth. 



Dr. Schmidt writes me that he regards this species as a color- 

 \ ariant of 2fyoxoc('])haliis hrandtl (Steindachner), described from the 

 mouth of the Amur. 



{nlrosus, snowy.) 



25. MYOXOCEPHALUS RANINUS Jordan and Starks. new species. 

 (nsUKAJlKA. 



Head 2| in length without caudal; depth 4^; dor.sal IX-lo; anal 11; 

 lateral line 40. Eye 6i in head; interorbital <>; snoutij; maxillary 2^, 

 upper i)rcopercular spine 8; tir.st dorsal spine l»j: third dorsal spine 4f; 

 longest dorsal ray 2^; longest anal I'ay ?>l\ pectoral I1: xcntral 21: 

 caudal 2. 



Head very short, broad, depressed, and evenly roumled from side 

 to side; the sides of head not at an angle with to}), as in Alnocottm 



