THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 399 
portion of head, with vertical rings. Mouth vertical, with strong 
and prominent mandible. Premaxilliaries freely protractile. 
Maxillary broad, without supplemental bones, not slipping under 
preorbital. Teeth moderate on jaws, vomer and palatines. Gill- 
openings wide, continued forward. Gill-membranes nearly sepa- 
rate, free from isthmus. Gills 3%, a slit behind last. Pseudo- 
branchie present. Branchiostegals 6. Air-vessel generally ab- 
sent. Pyloric cceca in moderate number. Vertebre 24 to 26. 
Body either naked or covered with very small smooth adherent 
scales which are arranged in very oblique series running down- 
ward and backward. Scales on belly inconspicuous or obsolete. 
Head covered with bony plates. Lateral line little developed, 
running high. Spinous dorsal very short or wanting. Second 
dorsal long. Anal and pectorals large, latter with broad oblique 
bases, lower rays rapidly shortened and most of them branched. 
Ventrals I, 5, jugular, close together, spine very short and inner- 
most ray longest. Caudal not forked. 
Carnivorous fishes living on bottom of shores of most warm 
regions. 
Genus ASTROSCOPUS Brevoort. 
Electric Star Gazers. 
Key to the genera. 
a. Naked space between forks of Y on top of head long and narrow, but 
shorter than vertical limb of Y; no distinct spines before eye; sides with 
round pale spots, each with a dark ring. Y-GRECUM 
aa. Naked space between forks of Y short and broad, but longer than very 
short vertical limb of Y; 2 distinct spines directed forward before eye; 
sides with small pale spots, not dark-edged. GUTTATUS 
Astroscopus y-greecum (Cuvier). 
PLATE QI. 
Star Gazer. 
Head 2% ; depth 3; D. IV, 14; A. 13; width of head 1% in 
its length; depth of head 134; upper edge of pectoral 1% ; sixth 
dorsal ray 234 ; eleventh anal ray 3% ; caudal 1°/,; least depth of 
caudal peduncle 344; innermost ventral ray 2; interorbital space 
