NO. 3 



TELEOSTEAN FISHES — GOSLINE 



13 



Orders Beryciformes, Zeiformes, and Perciformes. — As far as 

 basic pattern of the caudal skeleton is concerned, these three orders 

 may be grouped together. There seems no reason why one should not 

 have been derived from the basic stock of another or, alternatively, 

 why all three should not have developed from a single basal stock. 

 The most significant difference, perhaps, is the number of caudal 



Fig. 3. — A, Caudal skeleton of Amblyopsis spelaeus (Cyprinodontiformes). 

 Lettering as in figure i, A. 



B, Caudal skeleton of Chologaster sp. (Cyprinodontiformes). Lettering as in 

 figure I, A. 



C, Part of caudal skeleton of Fundulus olivaceus (Cyprinodontiformes). 



D, Caudal skeleton of Velijer hypseloptcrus (Lampridiformes). Lettering as 

 in figure i, A. 



rays; in the Beryciformes this is said to be 17 branched (except for 

 16 in the Polymixiidae), in the Zeiformes 10 to 13, and in the Perci- 

 formes basically 15 branched. In each of the three orders there is a 

 gradation in the caudal skeleton from forms in which this structure 

 is fairly primitive or generalized to forms in which it is considerably 

 fused. 



