SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF P^ISHES. 377 



gill-opening less than .5 length of head; a branched tentacle, as long as first dorsal spine, 

 over each eye, and a minute cirrus over each nostril; dorsal fin rather high, the 2 parts sepa- 

 rated by a slight notch, the rays xi,14 to xii,15, the soft rays higher than spines; anal rays 

 16 to 18: caudal rounded; pectorals broad; ventrals more than .5 head. Color: light bluish 

 ash mixed with brownish red, with numerous irregular black and reddish spots; 3 narrow dark 

 bars on lower side of head; cheeks dark, spinous dorsal black, with light spots; soft dorsal and 

 caudal with dark bands: anal dusky; pectorals greenish, with brown spots; ventrals blackish 

 with pale bands. (Named for the collector, Dr. Nicholas Hentz.) 



This species is abundant on sandy shores and among seaweeds, from North 



Carolina to Florida. It lias often been found in the Beaufort region in company 



witli other blennies, and is recorded in all the lists of Beaufort fishes. Length, 



4 inches. 



Genus HYPLEUROCHILUS Gill, Blennies. 



Body oblong, compressed; head short; mouth low, horizontal, with strong 

 posterior canine teeth in both jaws, in addition to smaller teeth in front; gill- 

 openings much restricted, the membranes being broadly joined to isthmus; 

 lateral line present on anterior part of body; skin naked; a large tentacle over 

 eye in male, a smaller one in female; dorsal fin long, low, and continuous, without 

 notch. The genus contains a single American species. {Hypleurocliilus, having 

 V-shaped side-lips.) 



326 HYPLEUROCHILUS GEMINATUS (Wood). 

 Blenny; Seaweed-fish. 



Blennius geminatus Wood, Journal Academy Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, iv, 1824, 278; Charleston, S. C. 



Jordan & Gilbert, 1879, 371; Beaufort. 

 Blennius fucorum, Yarrow, 1877, 206; Beaufort. 

 Hypleurochilus geminatus, Jordan, 1886, 28; Beaufort. Jenkins, 1887, 92; Beaufort. Jordan & Evermann, 



1898, 2385. 

 Hypleurochilus multifilis, Wilson, 1900, 355; Beaufort. 



Diagnosis. — Depth .25 to .28 length; head not very blunt, its length rather greater than 

 depth of body, anterior profile straight and oblique; besides the single row of long, slender 

 teeth in each jaw, there are strong, hooked canines, those in lower jaw the larger; gill-slits 

 short, extending downward to lower edge of pectoral base; interorbital space concave, less 

 than .5 diameter of eye; a large tentacle over each eye in male, with 4 smaller ones at its base; 

 tentacle in female shorter than eye; dorsal rays xi,15 to xiii,14, the spines slender and shorter 

 than soft rays; anal rays ii, 18; caudal rounded. Color: brownish green, with indistinct dark 

 bars; sides with a double row of reddish brown spots; anal and other vertical fins with black 

 margins, {geminatus, twin.) 



This appears to be the most abundant blenny on the North Carolina coast, 

 whence it ranges to Texas. The maximum length is about 2.5 inches. Dr. 

 Coker contributes the following note on the species at Beaufort: 



Adults very common about piles of wharves (at the Morehead railroad pier), living 

 amongst ascidians, sponges, etc.; very abundant among the rocks of the Fort Macon jetties. 

 In captivity the fish seek to hide under shells, etc.; specimens were once kept in the laboratory 

 in an earthenware jar for weeks without change of water, the water meanwhile evaporating 

 nearly one half. The eggs are laid [in August] in a single layer, attached to tlie rocks, ascidians, 

 shells, etc., among which the adults live. All stages, from .5 inch up to adults, can be gotten 



