SUPERFAMILY GOBIOIDEA — SCHULTZ 3 



horizontally placed mouth, I assign it the rank of family. The genus 

 needs more careful study, but this must await a series of fresh speci- 

 mens. Only the type is known. 



The monotypic genus Pholidichthys has the following characters: 

 Body very elongate somewhat compressed, naked; no lateral line; 

 premaxillary nonpro tractile; gill openings wide, gill membranes joined 

 to isthmus far forward ; branchiostegals 5 ; dorsal origin about half eye 

 diameter in front of a vertical line through upper edge of gill opening; 

 dorsal and anal fins of flexible simple rays, joined to caudal fin, which 





Figure 133. — Pholichichthys leucotaenia Bleeker, diagrammatic sketch of teeth in jaws of 

 holotype: left, lower jaw; right, upper jaw. 



is not rounded but elongate; pelvics 1,2, spine very short (only visible 

 under magnification) and inner rays longest; anus just in front of anal 

 fin origin; teeth in both jaws conical, in 4 overlapping rows, with a few 

 canines at front of jaws; no teeth on vomer, palatines, or tongue; 

 pharyngeals mth teeth; first 2 anal rays are noncross-striated ; first 

 several rays of dorsal broken off, but all remaining ones cross-striated ; 

 caudal fin with 10 simple cross-striated rays; dorsal rays 78; anal 62; 

 pectoral 15 and 15; gill rakers 4+8 (no raker at angle); above upper 

 lip at each side of tip of snout is a pair of pores (probably the anterior 

 nostrils) that connect wdth the posterior nostril by a separate tube 

 beneath the skin; the posterior nasal pore is a little in front of eye; 

 3 pores on each lower side of dentary; other pores may be present 

 behind eye and on lower part of head but skin is too damaged to 

 determine their location. 



KEY TO THE FAMILIES GOBIIDAE, PHOLIDICHTHYIDAE, KRAEMERIIDAE, AND 



MICRODESMIDAE 



la. Lower jaw not notably projecting in front of snout, chin normal, not swollen, 



and not entering profile. 



2a. Body normally with scales; first 5 to 6 dorsal rays nonstriated spines; 



second dorsal with one spine followed by 7 to 32 soft rays; a slightly 



larger space between last spine of first dorsal and first spine of soft 



dorsal than occurs fore or aft between bases of rays; pelvics 1,3 to 5; 



anal with 1 spine and 7 to 32 soft rays Gobiidae 



26. Body naked; dorsal and anal fins long, joined to caudal fin; origin of 

 dorsal over rear of head; about 78 dorsal and 62 anal rays; gill rakers 

 4+8; pelvic rays 1,2; teeth conical in 4 overlapping rows in both 

 jaws; gill membranes free but attached far forward to isthmus. 



Pholidichthyidae 



