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. Vertebra) '"°;!°''^ 11. TnAcniNiD.Ti, ii. p. 225. 



h. Vertebrcc 10/14 32. Malacantiiidj:, iii. p. 359. 



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

 vcntrals jugular, 1/2 . . . .22. Batrachid-e, iii. p. 106. 



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 prajoperculum, 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. CoTTiN.v,, ii. p. 89. 



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



10 d. CATArnRACTi, ii. p. 90. 



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



Ninth divisiou : Acanth. gobii formes. ■ 



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. Vcntrals 

 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. Vcntrals entirely modified into a perfect disk adherent to the 



belly 20. Discoboli, iii. p. 154. 



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



one fin 19. GoBiiDiE, iii. p. 1. 



II. Anal spines six ; ventral fins none. 



21. OxuDEiiciD.E, iii. p. 165. 



Tenth divisiou : Acanth. blenniiformes . 



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

 in Patterns. Dorsal fin very long : the spinous portion of the doi>>al, if 

 distinct, is very long, as well developed as the soft, or much more" ; 



'^ Luciogobius (iii. p. 15^). '3 AslciToptcr^x (iii. p. 132). 



" Zoarces (iii. p. 296). 



