i! GASTEROSTEID.E. 



the skeleton forming external mails. Scales none, or in the form of 

 scaly plates along the side. Isolated spines before the dorsal fin ; 

 ventral fins abdominal, but pubic bones attached to the humeral 

 arch ; ventral ^^ ith one strong spine, and generally with another 

 single short ray. S\\am-bladder simple, oblong ; caeca pylorica in 

 small number. 



Fresh and brackish waters and seas of both the Arctic rej'ions. 



Onlv one genus. 



1. GASTEROSTEUS*. 



Gasterosteiis, Artedi, Genera, p. 52 ; Lin)). Si/sf. A'af. p. 489 ; Citu. 



H^ffnc Anini. ; C)ir. ^ Vnl. iv. p. 479. 

 Centriscus, Klein, Pise. 3Ess. iv. p. 48. 

 Gasterosteus and Spinachia, Fletn. Brit. Anim. p. 219 



Characters the same as of the family. 



1. Gasterosteus aculeatus. 



Pungitiiis piscis, AIhe)-t. Magn. Aldrov. v. cap. 36. 



— — albcrti, Jo)tdo)i, iii. cap. 3. 



Pisciculi aculoati priufr genus, Ronilel. ii. p. 206 ; Gesner, fol. ICOo. 



Pisoiculus aculeatus, WilliK/lihy, p. 341. t. 10. f. 1; Hay, p. 145. 



Gastero.steu3, no. 1, Artedi, Species, p. 90 ; Gronov. Zoophyl. n. 405. 



Doubtfzd species : — 



1. Obolarius acideatus, Sfdlcr. — Gastcracanllius cataphrachis, Pallas, . — 



Gaaterosteua cataphractus, Tiles. Mem. Acad. I'cfersh. iii. p. 22t). pi. 8. 

 f. 1. — Grastci'osleiis obolarius, Cuv. ^' Val. iv. ]). 500. — Coast and Kivers 

 of Krtintsohatka. 



2. Gasterosteus niger, Cta:. <f- Vcd. iv. p. 503. — Newfoundland. 



3. Gasterosteus plebeius, Girard, I. c. p. 147, and U. S. I'acif. R. R. Exped. 



Fishes, p. 8(). — California. 



4. Gasterosteus inopinatus, Girard, II. cc. — California. — The two latter fishes 



prove that the form of the three-spincd 8ticklebaek with the posterior 

 part of the side naked is also met witli in North America, but even there 

 limited to the more temperate parts. The charactt"rs given by Girard 

 t)therwi9e are too vague to admit of any opinion on tiie speeifie right of 

 these fishes. 



5. Gasterosteus pygmaeus, Agass. Lake Superior, p. 314. pi. 4. f. 1.— Lake 



Superior. 



6. Gasterosteus inconstans, Kirtland, in Boston Jour)i. Naf. Hist. iii. p. 273. 



pi. 2. f. 1.— Ohio. 



7. Gasterosteus serratus, A>/rcs, P)-oc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sc. i. 185.^i, p. 47 ; 



Girard in U. S. Pacif. R. R. Exped. Fishes, p. 88. — California. 



8. Gasterosteus intermcdius. Girard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1856, p. 135, 



and U. S. Paeif. R. R. Exped. Fishes, p. 81). — Cape Flattery. 

 y. Gasterosteus jjugetti, Girard, U. S. Pacif. R. R. Exped. Fishes, p. 92. — 

 Fort Steilaeoom, Puget's Sound. 



10. Gasterosteus microcephalus, (xirard, Proc. Ac. Naf. Sc. Philad. 1854, 



p. 133, and U. S. Pacif. R. R. F^ped. Fishes, p. 91.— Four Creeks, 

 Tulare Valley, U.S. 



11. Gasterosteus loricatus, Reinh. Vidoisk. Silsi. Natur. ny Math. Afh. vii. 



1838, p. IM.— Greenland. 



12. Gasterosteus dimidiatus. Rrn>h.l.c. Greeidaiifl. 



