576 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1908. 



and well connected by membrane, so that a real fin is developed. 

 This group is named Brachionichthyinai, and includes two genera — 

 Brachionichthys and Symjyterichthys. Very few species are known 

 and they have only been found as yet in Australasian seas, or, more 

 specifically, about Tasmania. 



Most of the species — until recently more than all the other Pedicu- 

 lates — have the body oval with a tumid abdomen ; the mouth is quite 

 large, and the palate dentigerous ; the pelvic bones are rather elon- 

 gated, and the second and third dorsal spines are distant or slightly 

 connected and not constituents of a true fin. The group or subfamily 

 is known as the " Antennariinse " and includes the genera Ptero- 

 phryne, Antennaritis, Histiophryne, Saccarms, and several others. 

 Almost all of the species, however, belong to the genus Antennarius. 



The most specialized of the Antennariids are trenchantly separated 

 from the others by having the head cuboid and the first dorsal fin 



'^^^^^ mm^ 



Fir;. 10. — A chaunacine Antennariid (('linnnax pictus). After Jordan and Evermann. 



reduced to a single piece, developed as a rostral spine, or rather ten- 

 tacle, although a second spine remains concealed under the skin ; the 

 soft dorsal fin is low. Only one genus — Chaimax^s known. 



The most conspicuous of the Antennariids are mostly confined to 

 the coralligenous seas, and by far the largest number belong to the 

 genus AntennaHus. The only other genus equally well known is 

 Pterophryne, whose chief home is the sargasso meadows of the high 

 seas. These are the only ones that need to be noticed at length ; i\\Qy 

 are indeed the only ones whose habits are even tolerably well known. 



THE CERATIIDS. 



The family of Ceratiids, or deep-sea anglers, has been constituted 

 for a number of deep-sea Pediculates distinguishable at once by the 

 absence of ventral fins and the robust body. There is considerable 

 variation in form, but most are more or less compressed, and the head 



