50 BULLETIN 150, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



and onto the fins. It is not known that in any species the prickles 

 are localized or restricted to a definite region of the body. 



Coloration. — The species of Liparis are all dull colored. The 

 coloration consists of bars, lines, blotches, and mottlings of brown, 

 olive, slate, and white. In the majority of the species the fins are 

 speckled or faintly barred with brown. The coloration of some of the 

 deeper-water forms has been slightly modified. The varigated color- 

 ation is retained but in addition, as in L. rhodosoma and L. tessellatus, 

 the body becomes somewhat pinkish and translucent. In L. tessel- 

 latus the peritoneum becomes silvery and in L. major black. In 

 L. owstoni and L. tanalcae the lining of the dermis is reddish. 



The coloration is not always uniform for a species. Some of the 

 species exhibit a wide range of color variation. Certain specimens of 

 X. pulchellus, dennyi, agassizii, and other species have longitudinal, 

 wavy, or straight lines on the head and body. One of the specimens 

 of L. rhodosoma and several of L. dennyi have irregular oblong pink or 

 whitish blotches on the head and body. These may represent modi- 

 fied stripes. These peculiar types of coloration have not been 

 associated with sex or age. Many of the species exhibit distinct 

 color markings by which they can be easily identified. In some of the 

 species certain specimens can be identified by their coloration while 

 the remaining specimens differently colored have to be identified by 

 other means. 



The membranes of the mouth, gill cavity, and peritoneum are 

 usually a dull white. The peritoneum is frequently sparsely dotted 

 with black or brown. In L. dennyi the peritoneum is undotted. 

 In L. tessellatus it is silvery. In L. major it is black or heavily pig- 

 mented with black. 



Habits. — The tide-pool species remain stationary on the bottom or 

 cling to the rocks and seaweed by means of the disk. When attached 

 to seaweed they may be carried some distance from the shore. Some 

 of the deeper-water forms, judging from the shape and texture of the 

 body may move about more than the tide-pool species. It is unlikely 

 that any of the species swim continuously and at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the bottom. 



Food. — The food of these species consists mainly of Isopods and 

 Copepods. Small fishes are sometime taken. 



Summary. — ^In order to present a guide to the study of the specific 

 characters of these fishes the following outlines are given. The 

 first list suggests the characters which the writer has found to be the 

 most valuable in detecting and separating species. The second list 

 involves those characters which are of less value or have not been 

 adequately studied. 



