REVISION OF THE FISH FAMILY LIPARIDAE 



65 



RemarJcs. — In this species the head is usually thrown upward, 

 giving the body the appearance of being depressed in front of the first 

 dorsal fin. In a normal specimen the depth increases gradually to 

 the end of the first third of second dorsal ; sometimes the depth is as 

 great at the origin of the first dorsal, but it never exceeds that under 

 the second dorsal; dorsal outline of body convex under middle of sec- 

 ond dorsal. The gill slit sometimes extends down in front of only 

 one pectoral ray and then resembles the gill slit in some specimens of 

 L. colly odon. 



The coloration varies from a drab brown to a light yellowish 

 brown; it lacks the slaty cast of L. callyodon and in this respect more 

 nearly resembles L. rutteri. The fins may be colored as the body or 

 faintly barred; the tip of the first dorsal sometimes with a dark 

 blotch. A small speciftien 55 mm. in length has light wavy lines on 



Figure 2.— Liparis mucosus. Prickles from specimen from Pacific Grove, Calif. 



the body and head as in L. pulcJiellus. The disk of this specimen is 

 large and is contained 1.7 in the head. One of the Pacific Grove 

 specimens has the body and the top of the head and cheeks covered 

 with "thumbtack" prickles; these extend onto the fins. These 

 pricldes are not a sex character, unless seasonal, for one of the Pacific 

 Grove specimens, a male, does not possess them. The pricldes in 

 this species are club shaped — that is, heavier near the tip than the base. 

 The anterior nostril tube is sometimes very short and the rim dark. 



The specimens from Karluk and Neah Bay are very similar to the 

 type of '' Neoliparis florae" and easily recognized as belonging to the 

 same species. The Pacific Grove specimens are larger and present 

 slight peculiarities which are not of specific value. 



Jordon and Starks (1895, p. 832) describe what they consider to be 

 a specimen of " Neoliparis mucosus" as follows: Head 4; depth 4.3. 

 Dorsal 6-26; anal 26; pectoral 29; caudal 12. Eye 7; disk 1.5. 

 Body holding its depth well past the middle. Nostrils not ending 

 in tubes. Gill slit not extending below the upper edge of the pec- 



