membrane ; finlets none ; caudal not forked ; vcntrals com- 

 posed of one spine and five soft ravs. Pyloric appendages 

 none, or in small or moderate number. 



a. VertebriB '" " !°+^ 11. TRACHiNiDiE, ii. p. 225. 



b. Vertebrae 10/14 32. Malacanthid.^:, iii. p. 359. 



G. The spinous dorsal present, composed of a few pungent spines ; 

 ventrals jugular, 1/2 . . . .22. BATRACHiDiE, iii. p. 166. 



H. The spinous dorsal advanced on the head, and more or less 

 modified into tentacles . . 23. Pediculati, iii. p. 178. 



III. A bony stay for the angle of the praeoperculum, which is armed, 

 the bone arising from the infraorbital ring. 



A. Body naked or covered with ordinary scales, or incompletely 



cuirassed with single series of plate-like scales. 



10 c. CoTTiNA, ii. p. 89. 



B, Body completely cuirassed by bony keeled plates or scales. 



10 c?. CATAPnRACTi, ii. p. 90. 



IV. Skeleton soft 26. Comephoeidje, iii. p. 299. 



Ninth division : Acanth. gobiiformes. 



The spinous dorsal, or spinous portion of the dorsal, is always pre- 

 sent"^, short, either composed of flexible spines or much less developed 

 than the soft ; the soft dorsal and anal of equal extent. Ventrals 

 thoracic or jugular, if present, composed of one spine and five, rarely 

 four, soft rays. A prominent anal papUla'^. 



I. Anal spines 0-2 ; ventral fins. 



A. Ventrals entirely modified into a perfect disk adherent to the 



belly 20. Discoboli, iii. p. 154. 



B. Ventrals with the rays always distinct, sometimes united into 



one fin 19. Gobiid^, iii. p. 1. 



II. Anal spines six ; ventral fins none. 



21. OxTJDEEOiD^, iii. p. 165. 



Tenth division : Acanth. blenniiformes. 



Body low, subcylindrical or compressed, elongate, rarely oblong as 

 in Patcecvs. Dorsal fin very long : the spinous portion of the dorsal, if 

 chstinct, is veiy long, as well developed as the soft, or much more" ; 



1^ Luciogobius (iii. p. 152). ^^ Aatcrropkryx (iii. p. 132;. 



'■* Zoarces (iii. p. 295). 



