FISHES 131 



Family Cottidae. — Sculpins. Body elongate, tapering backward 

 from the broad head; body not uniformly scaled but either naked or 

 armed with scales, bony plates or spines; lateral line present; ventral 

 hns thoracic; dorsal fins either separate or connected; anal fins without 

 spines; pseudobranchiae present; air-blad"der usually wanting: about 

 30 genera and 90 species, mostly marine; many species in fresh water. 



Key to the Fresh Water Genera of Cottidae 



ai Ventral fins with 4 soft rays i. Cottus. 



a2 Ventral fins with 3 soft rays 2. Triglopsis. 



I. Cottus L. Fresh-water sculpins. Body smooth, sometimes 

 with prickles; preopercle with a spine at its angle and usually 2 or 3 

 spines below it; vilhform teeth on the vomer, jaws and sometimes 

 the palatines; gill openings separated by a wide isthmus; pectoral 

 fins large; dorsal fins usually nearly or quite separate: numerous 

 species, in the northern hemisphere. 



Key to the Species of Cottus 



El Palatine bones with teeth; the two dorsal fins usually very 

 shghtly connected at base, or not at all. 

 bi Anal rays 15 to 20. 



Ci Vent midway between tip of snout and base of tail C. asper. 



Co Vent nearer the tail than the tip of the snout C. gulosiis. 



bo Anal rays 11 to 13. 



Ci In the far-western States. 



di In the Columbia River basin C. rhothcus. 



C. bendirei. 



di In the Rocky Mountain region C. punctulatus. 



C. semiscabcr. 



Co In the eastern and central States C. bairdi. 



C. ricel. 

 ao Palatine bones without teeth, 

 bi In the Far-western States. 



Ci In the Klamath Lakes region, Oregon C. kldmathensis. 



C. tenuis. 



Co In the Columbia River basin C. beldingi. 



C3 In the Colorado River basin C. annce. 



hi In eastern and central States C. cognotus. 



C. as per Richardson. Length 300 mm.; head 3.25; depth 4.5; 

 color grayish olive, mottled and spotted with blackish; prickles coarse 

 and stiff; rays of dorsal fins IX or X, 19 to 21; anal 17 or 18: San 

 Francisco Bay to Alaska; Cascade Range; abundant in cold streams. 



C gidosus (Girard). Rifiiefish. Length 150 mm.; head 3; depth 

 4.5; color grayish olive, mottled with darker; rays of dorsal fin Mil or 



