FISHES COTTIDAE HEMILEPIDOTUS. 



67 



little in advance of the anal fin. These fins are proportionally more developed than in its con- 

 gener of the seas of northern Europe, A. hubalis. The insertion of the pectorals is very long, 

 extending almost to the inferior surface, along the hranchial aperture, towards the isthmus. 

 These fins are composed of sixteen or seventeen rays, very thick and short inferiorly, with the 

 interradial memhrane emarginated. Tlie tips of the longest rays extend posteriorly to a vertical 

 line drawn across the insertion of the second ray of the second dorsal. 



Br. VI : VI ; D VIII, 12 ; C 4, 1, 4, 5, 1, 5 ; V I, 3 ; P 17. 



The course of the lateral line is occupied by a series of oblong and vertically elongated bony 

 plates, from thirty to thirty-three in number, diminishing gradually in size posteriorly. Ante- 

 riorly, the series is contiguous to the humerus, and for the distance occupied by the anterior 

 dorsal it lies upon the dorsal region ; further behind it falls a little towards the flanks, but re- 

 mains throughout nearer the dorsal outline. The skin otherwise is perfectly smooth. 



The ground color of the upper regions is dark olive, or brown, dotted, blotched or mottled 

 with jet black. The inferior regions are dull yellow or olive, with crowded meandric, dark 

 streaks under the head, throat, lower part of the flanks, and tail. The ventrals, and generally the 

 anal, are unicolor, like the inferior abdominal region. The anal, however, is sometimes black- 

 ish upon its periphery. The ground color of the other fins is yellow or olive, upon which are 

 spread black spots and blotches similar to those distributed over the body. 



Reference to the figure. — Plate XV, fig. 1, represents, somewhat reduced, Aspicottus bison, 

 from the bay of San Francisco, California. 



List of specimens. 



Locality. 



Whence obtained. 



Fort Steilacoom, Puget's Sound.. Gov. Stevens 



Fort Point, Cal I Lieut. Trowbridge. 



San Francisco, Cal Lieut. Williamson. 



Tomales bay, Cal E. Samuels 



Nature of specimens. 



Collected by — 



Alcoholic. ' Dr. Suckley 



do Lieut. Trowbridge 



do Dr. Heermann 



do E. Samuels 



HEMILEPIDOTUS, Cuv. 



Gem. Char. — Head rough and prickly, with membranous tlaps on various parts ; opercular app.iratus spinous. Mouth mode- 

 rately cleft ; jaws equal. Teeth upon the premaxillaries, dentaries, front of vomer, and palatines. Gill openings separated 

 beneath by an isthmus ; branchiostegals, six on either side. Dorsal fins contiguous. Caudal rounded or sub-truncated pos- 

 teriorly. Insertion of ventrals opposite the base of pectorals. Longitudinal hands of scales alternating with smooth or 

 naked areas ; scales themselves finely denticulated. 



Stu.—Bemilepidoim, Cuv. Rfegn. Anim. 2d ed. II, 1829.— Gov. & Val. Hist. nat. Poiss. IV, 1829, 275. — Storek, Synops. 

 1846, 59.— Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. I, Philad. VIII, 1856, 134. 

 Galt/cilepidolus (in part), Aybes, Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sc. I, 1855, 76. 



The genus Hemilepidotus was established by Cuvier upon the very characters which we have 

 just endeavored to diagnosticate, and as such it has been adopted by the subsequent writers. 



