282 



ICHTHYOLOGY. 



Genus I. Trigla, Linn. Cheek wholly covered by the enor- 

 mous second suborbitar, which is articulated by an immoveable su- 

 ture to the preoperculum, the two moving together; sides of the 

 head almost vertical. Body scaly. Two dorsals. Three free un- 

 branched articulated rays under the pectoral. Snout formed by 

 the union of the prefrontals, turbinals, and point of the nasal, by su- 

 ture; the preorbitar making a more or less salient projection before 

 them. liranchiostegals seven. Branchial rakers in form of tuber- 

 cles ; villiform teeth on the jaws and pharyngeals, but the palate 

 and tongue are edentate. Lateral line straight to the caudal, on 

 which it forks ; it is variously armed. Stomach caecal ; pancreatic 

 CEcca numerous (eight to twelve), dividing into two or three lobes 

 anteriorly. Eighteen species. 



Genus II. Prionotus. Cuv. Triglce with very large pectorals 

 and villiform palatine teeth. Body scaly. Eight species. 



Genus III. Peristediok. Lacep. Body clothed in scaly ar- 

 mour. A long projection of the preorbitar on each side of the snout. 

 Slouth beneath ; destitute of teeth, as are also the vomer, palatines, 

 and pharyngeals. Under lip bearded. Body octagonal, with tapering 

 spines on its eight angles. Two free rays under the pectoral. Pan- 

 creatic ca;ca seven ; air-bladder pretty large, simple. Two species. 

 Genus IV. Dactyloptekus, Cuv. Head flat above, rounded off 

 into a nearly vertical face ; helmet granulated. Eye very large. A 

 very longspine continuedfrom the lower borderof the preoperculum. 

 Suprascapula emitting a Irng spine ; articulation of the suborbitar 

 and preoperculum moveable. Teeth pavement-like on the jaws ; no 

 teeth on the vomer or palatines. Branchiostegals six ; four articu- 

 lated rays only in the ventrals in addition to the spine. No free 

 rays in the pectoral, but the fin is divided into a smaller anterior 

 part, and a posterior very broad and long part with the tips of the 

 rays going beyond the membrane ; some of the anterior dorsal rays 

 are free. Scales of the body hard and firm, those on the flanks 

 keeled, forming, by their close succession, trenchant crests. Stomach 

 csBcal ; about thirty pancreatic cseca in two bundles; air-bladder 

 small, deeply bilobate. Two species. 



Genus V. CEriiALAC.tNTiius, Lacep., is a Dactulopterus with- 

 out the wing-like supplementary pectoral, or a Tn)fla without the 

 free rays. Head and body like Dactylopterus, of which it is said by 

 Dumeril to be merely the young. An acute and very long spine 

 from the angle of the preoperculum, and another from the supra- 

 scapula, both serrated. Pectoral divided into two nearly equal lobes 

 by a fissure. A pointed caecal stomach; innumerable pancreatic 

 caeca ; no air-bladder. One species. 



Genus \'I. Cottus, Linn. A large rounded or depressed head, 

 variously armed with spines and tubercles. No scales. Two dor- 

 sals. Teeth on the fore-part of the vomer ; no teeth on the pala- 

 tines. Six branchiostegals. Five, four, or fewer rays in the ventrals ; 

 inferior rays of the pectoral unbranched as in Trachinus. Pan- 

 creatic CBeca few in number ; no air-bladder. Thirty-six species. 

 Various dismemberments of this genus have been made, and the 

 fresh-water and marine species have been separated — Uranidea be- 

 ing the name given to an American fresh-water species, and Acan- 

 thocothus to the marine ones. 



In the fully armed head of a Cottus there are ten spinous points 

 more or less produced on each side of the head ; one on the turbi- 

 nal ; five on the preoiierculum, the one at the angle being a long 

 spine, and the others angular points of the inferior limb ; one on 

 the inferior anterior angle of the suboperculum ; a spine at the 

 point of the operculum, and acute points or sjiines on the supra- 

 Acapula and coracoid. There are also four eminences placed in a 

 quadrangle on the top of the head, one behind each orbit, and another 

 on the occiput on each side. In some these are blunt and smooth ; 

 in others spinous ; in others rough tubercles, much elevated or even 

 branched. In other species many of the spinous points are obsolete. 

 Genus VII. Trachvdermis, Heck. (Cfntridermicklhy!, Kich.) 

 General form that of Cottus; head less depressed. Turbinals, 

 preoperculum, and inferior angles of the suboperculum spinous; 

 theprincipalpreopercularspine-hooked. Beneath it twoacute spines 

 and a blunt point; operculum and preorbitar unarmed. Villiform 

 teeth on the jaws, palatines, and chevron of the vomer ; pharyngeal 

 teeth rather coarser, the upper ones forming a tuft on each side. 

 Dorsals contiguous; pectorals like those of Cottus, with simple rays 

 below (seven) ; ventrals having four jointed rays and one spine. 

 Branchiostegals six. Body covered with slender setaceous spines, 

 each springing from a minute cuticular tubercle. Head, belly, ax- 

 illae of the pectorals, and a narrow line along the base of the anal, 

 amooth. A genital papilla ; pancreatic caeca. Species Tr. ansata, 

 China. 



Cottus asper (Fauna Bor. Amfr.) seems to be a second species of 

 TrachyJet-mis, with the spines on the same bones of the head, but 

 less prominent, so as to be concealed in the recent fish by the inte- 

 guments, and the point of the principal preopercular spine not 

 hooked. It is the type of the genus Cotopsis, Girard. 



Gends VIII. Triglopsis, Gir. Head smooth. JIany muci- 



ferous canals developed in the bones of the skull and face, as in Classifica- 



Acerina. First dorsal shorter and much lower than the second one, tion 



and distant from it. No palatine teeth ; teeth on the chevron of the Acanthop- 

 vomer, and also down the median line. Four preopercular spines, terous 

 shorter and more slender than is usual in Coitus. Gill-openings Fishes. 

 connected on the throat without an isthmus. Branchiostegals six. ^ , , -^ 

 All the pectoral rays undividv'd. One species. Lake Ontario. 



Genus IX. Phobktor, Kroy. Coat destitute of vomerine 

 teeth ; resembling Cottns Scorpius in general aspect. Acute 

 small turbinal spines. Principal preopercular spine snagged ; 

 three acute points on the bone beneath it; operculum destitute of 

 both the usual median rib and spine. A small spine pointing down- 

 wards from the lower angle of the suboperculum, and crossed by a 

 smaller intoropercular spine. Suprascapula; unarmed. Two small 

 cranial tubercles on each side. No orbital ridges. Lateral line com- 

 posed of cutaneous mucoducts. Fins large. 



Genus X. Icelu.s, Kroy. Body somewhat compressed, higher 

 than thick. Head large ; destitute of scales ; armed with spines 

 on tlie snout, preoperculum, and nape. Teeth minute, setaceous 

 on the jaws, vomer, and palatines. Branchiostegals six. Two dor- 

 sals, separated ; ventrals of four rays under the pectorals ; rays of 

 all the fins undivided. On each side from the nape to the caudal fin 

 a continuous series of bony shields, running near the dorsals. La- 

 teral line com[)osed of bony tubercles. Ciliated scales on the sides and 

 belly, few and scattered; the rest of the skin naked. Three species, 

 /. hamattts, I. bicornis, I. uncinatus. 



Genus XI. Cauacanthus, Kroy. Body higher than in other 

 genera of the family, greatly compressed, oval. Snout very short, 

 truncated ; small slender teeth on the premaxillaries and mandi- 

 ble. Branchiostegals six. Preorbitar scale bone armed with a spi- 

 nous point anteriorly. Two low dorsal fins ; short pectoral fins, 

 with simple rays; ventrals entirely rudimentary; two spinous 

 anal rays, set apart from the soft portion of the fin. No scales, 

 but many cutaneous papilla;. One species, Otaheite. 



Genus XII. Podaeeus, Rich., 1848. Scaleless. Lateral line 

 of simjde cutaneous mucoducts, arched abruptly over the pectorals. 

 Ventrals of a spine and tu>o soft rays; two dorsals approximated ; 

 rays of all the fins, except the caudal, unbranched ; none free. Vil- 

 liform bands of subulate teeth on the jaws, vomer, and palatines, 

 and in hemispherical tufts on the pharyngeals, also on the tuber- 

 cular rakers. Tongue smooth. No armature on the preorbitar, 

 suboperculum, or interoperculum, nor on the cranium or supra- 

 scapulae. Slight unevenness of the skull concealed by the soft ' 

 parts. A narrow, thin process projects from above the corner of the 

 preoperculum ; and the operculum ends in a thin flexible point, 

 but there is no pungent corner, and the integuments of the cheek 

 conceal the second preorbitar as it crosses to the hollow of the 

 preoperculum. One species has the aspect of Ct'ji(ro/.oti!Ms, another 

 of Cottus, both are more compressed than Cottus. Two species, 

 China seas. ' ' 



Genus XIII. Asp.idophorus, Lacep. Phalanoista, Bloch., 

 Schneid. Many of the characters of Cottus, such as the depressed 

 head, simple rays, six branchiostegals, but with the body cuirassed 

 by a series of large bony scales that extend from the head to the 

 caudal fin, forming a pyramid with many faces. No vomerine 

 teeth. Ten species. 



Genus XIV. Platycephalus, Bloch. Head very much de- 

 pressed ; spiny. Body more or less depressed ; elongated ; scaly. 

 Acute teeth on the palatines. Seven branchiostegals. A spine and 

 five articulated rays in the ventrals, which are under the middle of 

 the pectorals, and therefore abdominal in position, and are widely 

 apart from each other laterally, owing to the breadth of the pubic 

 bones. Dorsals contiguous or approximated. Thirty species. 



Genus XV. Oplichthvs, Cuv. Head depressed, and with the 

 operculum very spinous as in Platycephalus. Body cuirassed as in 

 Aspidophorus. Ventrals more jugular, and having a spine and Jive 

 soft ratis. One species, Japan. 



Genus XVI. IIemitripterus, Cuv. Two dorsals, the first one 

 deeply notched. JIany cutaneous filaments on the uneven head and 

 mandible. Large pectorals advancing far under the throat ; the 

 lower rays thickened, but none free; ventrals jugular of a spine, 

 and three soft rays ; rays of all the fins, including the caudal, sim- 

 ple. Teethon the jaws, vomer, J7a/a(!i!fs, iind pharyngeals in villi- 

 form bands. Tongue smooth. Branchiostegals six. Two species. 



Genus XVII. HEMiLEPiDOTt-s, Cuv. Somewhat of the aspect 

 of Coitus, but with the dorsals united, though notched between the 

 spinous and soft portions. Teeth on the jaws, vomer, and pala- 

 tines. Two ranges of scales on the sides with soft integument be- 

 tween them ; scales round, finely denticulated, and rising into a 

 little crest. Stomach small ; pancreatic casca five. 



Genus XVIU. Be.mbkas, Cuv. Head, serrated crests, and 

 spines, nearly as in Platycephalus, but not depresised. Ventrals 

 rather before the pectorals, with five articulated rays and the 

 usual spine, and as in Scorpeena there are villiform bands of teeth 



