BLENXOMOKPns. 



213 



I: Front jaw-tectli firmly set in one row, 

 and sharpcne'l at the point like a chi- 

 sel (anteriorly and posteriorly compressed 

 incisors). At least the greater part of 

 the dorsal fin (in the Scandinavian spe- 

 cies the whole) soft-rayed Ueniis Blennius. 



II: Jaw-teeth conical, sharp or blunt, gene- 

 rally set in several rows, and more or 

 less far apart from each other. Only 

 spinous rays in the dorsal iin: 

 1 : Branchiosteoal memhranes to a 



o 



great extent united, and the gill- 

 openings therefore vertical. Vent- 



ral fins small, with thick skin, or 



wanting: 



a: No spinous ray in the anal fin. 

 Head above the eyes furnished 

 witli dermal fringes Genus C/drolop/ds. 



h: Two spinous rays at the begin- 

 ning of the anal fin. No dermal 

 fringes on the head (ienus Pholis. 



Branchiostegal membranes only 



slightly united, the lower part of 



the gill-openings extending in a for- 

 ward direction. Ventral fins with 



thin skin and fairly long (equal in 



length to the lower jaw) Genus Luinpenus. 



Genus BLENNIUS. 



Bodji naked {iciflioiif scales). In the anterior part of the Jairs an arcuate ran- of stronfj, closely set, recurved 

 and chisel-like teeth: in the hark of the jaas (/eneralli/ solitarij canines. Head short, witli the upper profile sharply 

 curved. Mouth sinall, (/ape horizontal. Gill-openings fairly htrye, hat vertical; branchiostegal membranes tvith 6 

 rays and hmadhj united to each other or to the isthmus. One continuous dorsal fin, generally, hotvever, incised at 

 the margin, nith most {or all) of its rays soft, hut unarticulated, at least in the anterior part of the fin. Only 

 the caudal fin with branched rays, and these generally few {under 10?). Ventral fins with thick skin, one short 

 spinous ray and three soft rays. Anterior part of the lateral line arcuate, and often the only distinguishahle 

 portion thereof. Fseudobranchics distinct. Air-bladder and pyloric appendages tcanting. 



This genus includes about 40 species, which be- 

 long chiefly to the Atlantic. Some, however, have been 

 found in the Red Sea and off Ceylon, the Sandwich 

 Islands and Tasmania; and one species {Blennius 

 Sujefianus or Cagnota) has domiciled itself in the fresh- 

 water of the ea-st of Spain, the south of France, Italy 

 and Dalmatia. Although the naked, slimy skin is 

 without the brightness lent bv the .scales to the body 



of other fishes, .still some of these species belong to 

 those most richly endowed with beauty of colouring. 

 Hence some of them bear such names as butterfly and 

 peacock. As we liave mentioned above, they are shore- 

 fishes; but some of them have been met with far out at 

 sea, following pieces of wreckage or finding a }jerma- 

 nent home among the floating Sargasso-weed. Only 

 one species belongs to the Scandinavian fauna. 



