66 



BULLETIN 150, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



toral. Color olive-brown, light below; indistinctly mottled; dorsal 

 and anal darker at the margin; pectoral uniform dark brown; cau- 

 dal light, with indistinct cross lines; lips dark. 



This specimen has a very large disk and is here doubtfully referred 

 to L. mucosus. The gill slit is described as being above the pectoral 

 and the nostril tube absent. In some of our specimens of L. mucosus 



.y'^ 



"^^ 



.•=^ 



■/i~ 



Figure 3.— Liparis micraspidophorus. Tvpe. A typical tide pool species, with notched dorsal 



AND FREE CAUDAL FIN 



the gill sht extends down in front of only one pectoral ray and the 

 nostrU tube is very short. It seems likely that the Jordan and 

 Starks specimen belongs with this species. 



The following note is from the origmal description by Ayers : Head 

 4 in the total length; eye nearly 6 in the head. Dorsal and anal ter- 

 minate at the base of the caudal. Dorsal notched. Gill opening as 

 in L. pulcJiellus. (The gill slit in L. pulcTiellus is described by Ayres 



Figure 4.— Liparis micraspidophorus. Prickles from type 



as being above the pectoral, but it extends down in front of two or 

 three rays.) Anterior nostril tubular. Disk as in L. pulchellus. 

 (The disk in L. pulchellus is contained more than two times in the 

 head.) Color plain greenish olive, lighter below. 



There is little in this description to indicate that the species de- 

 scribed by Ayres as Liparis mucosus is different from the species 

 described by Jordan and Starks as " Neoliparis florae." I believe 



