156 BULLETIN 150, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Nostril. — The posterior nostril is absent in this genus. The 

 anterior nostrU opens close in front of the eye. There is never a 

 prominent tube. In a number of species the tube appears to open 

 to the surface by a pore. So far as known the nostril does not 

 present any characters of specific value. The skin in many of the 

 species was in such a condition that the nostril could not be ade- 

 quately studied. 



Eye. — The characters presented by the eye have been utilized 

 but to a slight extent. This is due to the laclc of good material. 

 The eyes of many of the specimens examined were in poor condition 

 and would not admit of any importance being placed upon the 

 differences they presented. The size of the eye among the different 

 species varies from 2.8 to 5.4 in the length of the head. The pupil 

 is always round or slightly oval and usually large. The color of 

 the eye varies from black to silvery. The silvery pigment is likely 

 to disappear in preserved specimens. 



Pores. — The pore formula for many of the species could not be 

 made out on account of the condition of the skin. The formula 

 appears to vary from 2-6-7-1 to 2-5-6-1. In none of the species 

 could more than one suprabranchial pore be detected. The upper 

 pores on the snout are close together and practically between the 

 nostrils. Rudimentary pores were not observed in an}^ of the species. 

 The pores are usually small but may be enlarged as in P. holomelas. 

 In a few species the anterior mandibular pores are united, that is, 

 have a common opening. 



Gill slit.— The size of the gill slit in a number of the species is 

 unknown because of the torn condition of the skin. The gill slit 

 has about the same amount of modification as in Careprodus. In 

 the majority of the species it is confined to the region above the base 

 of the pectoral fin. In but a few of the species does the slit extend 

 do\\Ti in front of the pectoral. The largest gill slit is found in P. 

 Tiolomelas in which species it extends down in front of 13 pectoral 

 rays. 



Teeth. — The teeth in Paraliparis show a greater range of modifi- 

 cation than in any other genus of the famLl3^ In P. dadylosus the 

 teeth are trUobed, In the majority of the species they are simple, 

 conical, and in narrow or broad bands; the oblique rows few or many, 

 obscure or prominent; the inner teeth enlarged or not. In P. atra- 

 mentatus the teeth are very stout and apparently suited for crushing 

 hard objects. In P. rosaceus they are stout, wedge-shaped, arranged 

 in a single series, and their tips form a sharp cutting edge. The 

 teeth of the species of this genus deserve special stud}'" for they are 

 of considerably taxonomic importance. The different types of 

 dentition described appear to grade into each other and can not be 



