i!i\'i:i; liUi.i.iiKAD. 



171 



j;iw-l)oiie is short and extends hack only to a [loiiit I'clt than sucii. 'I"hc two dorsal fins are united at the 

 vertically below the anteriof nuirgiii of the eye. The ! base, and the second is fairly long in proportion to the 



size of the fish — so long- that there is only a short 

 interval between the end of this fin and the beginning 

 of the caudal tin. In the ventral fins we find a re- 

 markable exception to thc^ I'ule Mitiiin the genus, na- 

 mely that they have one ray more, i. e. they contain 

 one s])inons and four weak, articulated rays; the spi- 

 nous I'.iy is, as usual, closely joined to the first weak 

 ray and hi(hleu by the skin. The length of these fins 

 is, as usual, greater in the male than in the female, 

 but, so far as our observations extend, does not exceed 

 17','.,% of the length of the body or 35 % of the dis- 

 tance between the anal fin and tlie tij) of the snout, 

 the eye. In this, as in the other species of the geruis, In the anal fin it is wortln' of remark that the last 

 small cardiform teeth are set on the lower jaw, the ! two rays are close togethei' at the base and that the 

 intermaxillary bones and, in a curve anteriorly convex, j base of this fin measures at most about 23 % of the 

 on the head of the vomer. Underneath, from the lowei- j length of the body. In the caudal fin, which is sharply 

 margin of the pectoral fins, the branchiostcgal mem- rounded at the end, the 7 or 8 middle ravs are qua- 

 branes are united to the breast, without any free der- ! drifid or doubh- bitid; in most cases too, in old speci- 

 mal fold across it; partlv on this account and partly [ mens at least, there is one more bifid ray. Furthermore, 

 in the opercular flap, which is moi-e deeply incised at I in this species as in the following one, more at least 

 the top, there is a slight resemblance, of which more than in the others, the rays of most of the fins, especially 

 hereafter, to tlic structure of the gill-openings in ('aJ- of the pectoral and ventral, have a tendencv to divide at 

 Wonijmns. The hind margin of the preoperculinn is the jtoint. This is visible only under a magnifying glass; 

 furnished at the top \\ith a small, flat hook, turned | to the naked eye, however, the ra^^s seem sim])le. 



length of the uppisr jaw-bone in the female is between 

 7V2 ;ind 8^/. % of that of the body and in tlic male 

 about 10', 2 %, or in the former between 83 and 41 

 and in the latter about 4(i % of the length of the base 

 of tlie anal fin. The length of the lower jaw ^■aries 

 between II and 1;! % of that of the bod\. The lips 

 arc thick and swollen, like the checks. The whole a|>pea- 

 rance of the head thus gains a close resemblance to 

 that of the genus Gohiits. The nostrils arc small and 

 open on each side into two fine ducts, as is usuall}- 

 the case in this genus; the anterior opening is tlie larger 

 and is situated about half-wav between the snout and 



U])wards, but the interstice between the mai'gin of the 

 preopenailuni and the point of the hook is filled by 

 the skin. Below this hook — in which we may trace 

 a fairly distinct likeness to the many-pointed preoper- 

 cular hook in Callioi/i/iiins, as ^vell as to the corres- 



The coloration, as usual, varies considerably, from 

 eai'h' Aouth, A\'hen the dark transverse bands which are 

 general in the Cottoids, are more regular and distinctly 

 marked. In adult specimens the body is of a grayish 

 green colour, with irregular spots and transverse stripes 



ponding structure wc have seen in Centridennichfhys — I of ^•ar^'ing size and shape. The dorsal side is marbled 

 is another, slightly projecting, flat spine with l)road with graA' and brown right out on the snout. The lateral 

 base and Idunt tip, which is generally very indistinct, line is coasted underneath bv some lighter, yellowish 



though it varies in size. The lateral line, which is 



spots, which are more distinct in some individuals than 



marked by about 33 small, short, porous openings, is j in others. The rays of the caudal, the second dorsal, 



^vithout any armour and runs fairly straight forward j the anal and the pectoi-al fins are crossed by light streaks, 



from the caudal fin, at aliout the middle of the side, which together form bands, partly broken and partly 



but below the first third of the second dorsal fin curves j continuous, over the fins. These light transverse streaks 



slightly down\\ards and then, in a line \\ith the vent, give a broken appearance, as it were, to the rays. In 



gradually rises to such an extent, that at the margin of j the males the belly is of the same colour as the body, 



the gill-cover it is much nearer the back. Tlie skin j though somewhat lighter; in the females it is whitish. 



is smooth, scaleless and covered with a thick and tough | The ventral fins are generally without spots and of the 



mucus over the whole body. Even in this species, but | same colour as the belly, but they are sometimes dotted 



still more commonly in the following one, we some- 

 times find the anterior part of the sides — the part 



or even spotted Avith black. The iris is dark, with a 

 flame-yellow ring round the inner margin. The figure 



which is covered by the pectoral fins — sprinkled with (plate VIII, fig. 1) is painted from a male, taken in the 

 small, spinous, scaly formations, \\liich are more easily ; Baltic, in the month of July. 



