FISHES — COTTIDAE ASPICOTTUS. 



65 



iaterradial membrane eraargiaateJ ; whilst the upper ones are more slender and bifurcated upon 

 their extremity, which is even witli their membrane. 



Br. VI: VI; D XI, 19; A 13 ; C 6, 1, 5, 4, 1, 5 ; V I, 5 ; P IG. 



The skin is perfectly smooth ; the lateral line runs uninterrupted from the upper part of the 

 thoracic arch to the base of the caudal, following the middle of the flanks from the origin of the 

 second dorsal backwards. 



The ground color of the head, body, and fins is either of a light or a dark chocolate brown , over 

 which are spread, without any apparent order, black patches and streaks, giving the whole a 

 marmorated appearance. 



Beference to the figure. — Plate XVI, figure 1, represents the profile view of Scorpoiniclitlujs 

 marmoralus, somewhat reduced in size, and caught in the bay of San Francisco^ California. 



List of specimens. 



J2 



B 



s 

 a 



314 

 315 

 316 

 317 

 318 

 319 

 320 

 321 



Locality. 



Adt.j San Francisco, California.. 

 ' do do 



Adt. Presidio, California 



; S. Farallones, California 



Monterey, California 



Humboldt bay, California 



Astoria, Oregon 



Tomales bay, California... 



Adt. 



Tg- 



1853 

 -do. 



.do. 

 1855 

 1853 

 1854 

 1854 

 1855 



Whence obtained. 



Lieut. Williamson 

 do 



Lieut. Trowbridge . 

 do 



do... 



do... 



do... 



E. Samuels. 



03 



Alcoholic, 

 .-.-do.... 



.do. 



.do. 



.do. 



-do. 



.do. 

 -do. 



Collected Viy- 



Dr. Heermann 



Dr. Newberry 



Lieut. Trowbridge. 

 do 



-do. 

 .do. 



do... 



E. Samuels. 



ASPICOTTUS, Girard. 



Gen. Cuar.— Bones of the head exposed and corrugated. Opercular apparatus armed with strong spines. Mouth mode- 

 rately cleft ; jaws equal. Teeth on the premasillaries, dentaries, and front of the vomer ; none on the palatines. Gill 

 openings separated beneath by an isthmus ; branchiostegal rays six in number. Dorsal fins distinctly separated. Caudal 

 posteriorly rounded. Insertion of ventrals opposite the base of pectorals. Lateral line formed by a series of bony Ecutellae 

 extending from head to tail. Skin otherwise smooth. 



Syn.— A^ptcotos, ED. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. VII, 1854, 130 ; &, VIII, 1856, 133. 

 ClypeocoUus, Aires, Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sc. 1, 1854, 12. 



To this genus is to be referred Coitus huhalis, of Euph'rasen, an inhabitant of the Baltic and 

 Norwegian seas. The latter species is so closely related to A. bison, described below, that it is 

 only upon a careful comparison that the two can be distinguished. 



The genus is well characterized by the great development of the suborbital bones and the 

 presence of a lateral series of bony shields altogether difi'erent from the scale-like plates of He- 

 miiripterus and Artedius. 

 9 a 



