378 



FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



in such a locality, but the early stages (except the young just from the egg) have not been 

 obtained, though a careful search has been made with different methods; evidently the species 

 has a different habitat in very early life. 



Family ZOARCID^. The Eel-pouts. 



Marine fishes of moderate size abounding in cold water and living on the 

 bottom, sometimes at considerable depths; some of the species viviparous. 

 Body elongate, eel-shaped in some genera; head and mouth large; conical teeth 

 in jaws, teeth sometimes present on vomer and palatines; gill-opening a vertical 

 slit; gills 4, gill-rakers small, gill-membranes united to the isthmus; skin naked 

 or covered with small, imbedded cycloid scales; lateral line present but incon- 

 spicuous; pyloric cceca rudimentary; dorsal fin long, low, continuous, the rays 

 usually soft but sometimes spinous posteriorly; anal long, low, of soft rays only; 

 dorsal and anal usually confluent around tail; pectorals short and broad; ventrals 

 if present jugular and very small. About 15 American genera. 



Genus ZOARCES Cuvier. Mutton-fishes; Eel-pouts. 



Form elongate, somewhat compressed, tapering posteriorly; head moder- 

 ately long, contracted above; mouth large, provided with strong, blunt jaw teeth 

 in several rows; lateral line present; scales small and imbedded; dorsal fin begin- 

 ning at head, long, low, and continuous, free from caudal, some of the posterior 

 rays spinous; anal fin similar to dorsal but shorter and continuous with caudal; 

 pectoral fins broad; ventrals fins very small, jugular. A small genus of marine, 

 viviparous fishes, inhabiting the northern part of the northern hemisphere; 1 

 American species. (Zoaixes, viviparous.) 



327. ZOARCES ANGUILLARIS (Peck). 

 Eel-pout; Mutton-fish. 



Blennius anquillaris Peck, Memoirs American Academy of Sciences, ii, 1804, 46; New Hampshire. 



Zoarces anguillaris, Yarrow, 1877, 206; Fort Macon. Jordan & Gilbert, 1879, 371; Fort Macon (after Yarrow). 



Goode, 1884, 247; Fort Macon (after Yarrow). Jordan, 1886, 29; Beaufort (after Yarrow). Jordan 



& Evermann, 1898, 2457, pi. cccxlviii, fig. 850. 



Fig. 173. Eel-pout. Zoarces anguillaris. 



Diagnosis. — Deptli .14 length; head .17 length; maxillary extending well behind eye; 

 lower jaw included; eye small, about .5 length of snout; dorsal rays 95, xviii,17, the first ray 

 over ventrals, the longest rays less than .5 head, the posterior rays very short and spinous; 

 anal rays about 105; pectorals broad, about .66 length of head; ventrals very small, their 

 length less than snout. Color: reddish brown, with dark green mottlings on sides and back 

 extending on dorsal fin; a dark stripe behind eye and another below eye. {anguillaris, eel-like.) 



