PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 225 



Although the descriptions of Linuseus are unequivocal and based 

 solely on specimens of Pterophryne, in the synonymy above copied are 

 confused several species. As he seems, however, only to have known 

 through autopsy the species of Pterophryne, and to have been unpre- 

 pared for the polymorphous character of the type, his confusion under 

 the synonymy is not at all to be wondered at, and is paralleled by many 

 modern naturalists, especially Guntber. His compatriot, Osbeck, had 

 also the same species of Pterophryne in view in his description* of the 

 Lophius histrio, viz : — 



"Die Flossquabbe, Lophius Histrio L. S. N. Lophius tumidus Mus. 

 Reg. p. 56, und Linn. Westgoth. Reise Tab. 3, Fig. 3, aber der Faden 

 and die erste Riickenflossfeder sind an den Spitzen borstig, die Borsten 

 weich. Der gauze Korper ist mit einer schleimigeu Haut, und kleineu 

 blattrigeu Stutzen {fulcris) bedeckt, die man ausser dem Wasser kaura 

 bemerkt, weil sie lest anschliessen. Der Rachen und Bauch sind gross, 

 damit sie viele Krebsarten oder junge Krebse verschlingen konnen. 

 Vielleicht hat die Vorsicht diesen Fisch deswegen so blattrig gekleidet, 

 damit ihn die Raubhsche mit dem Seegrasse verwechseln und nicht gar 

 ausrotten niochten.'' 



The smooth skin and the tag-like appendages evidently proclaim the 

 fish of Osbeck to be a Pterophryne. 



It is also to be remarked that the naturalist who first recognized spe- 

 cific diflerentiation among the Antennariids (Shaw), in his "General 

 Zoology" (V. 5, p. 384, pi. 1G4), restricted the name to the PterophrynCy 

 and gave, under the term Lophius histrio, a quite recognizable figure of 

 that form, whose only great fault is tbo delineation of the firs? spine. 



IL 



The names subsequently apj)lied to Pterophryne now demand consid- 

 eration. 



Those accepted by the latest systematists have been attributed to 

 Bloch's Systema Ichthyologise, edited by Schneider, but, as will presently 

 be shown, erroneously. 



In the Systema Ichthyologise (p. 142) only one species of Antennariids 

 is admitted under the name Lophius histrio, but four varieties are distin- 

 guished under it, viz : — 



Var. a, "Striated Loph. Shaw Miscell. No. 58" ; 



Var. h,pictus; 



YiiT. c, marmoratus ; and 



Var. d, ocellatus. 



As no references have been made to previous publications, except in 

 case of var. a, it seems to have been generally assumed that the varietal 

 names originated in the work in question. This, however, is not the 

 case. 



* Osbeck, Peter. Reise nach Ostiudien und China. 8vo. Rostock, 1765. p. 400. 



Proc. Nat. Mus. 78 15 Dee. 9, 1878. 



