236 THE FAMILY RANICIPITID.E — GILL. 



RANICIPITID^.* 



Famihj Sijn. 



= New family [nunained] Parnell, Mag. Zool. and Bot., V. 1, p. 347 (indicated), 1837. 



= RauicepitidiH Gill, Arrangement Fam. Fishes, \>. 2 (named only), 1872. 



= Ranicepitid:e Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc, Pbihi., 1884, p. 173 (diagnosed), 1884. 



Jngnlaires gen. Dumi'ril, 1806. 



Gadinea gen. Rafiuesque. 



Gadoides gen. Cuvier. 



Gadida3 gen. and. pi. 



Gadoidei gen. Bleeker. 



Gadi gen. Fitzimjer. 



Suhfamilij Syn. 



^Ranicepini Bonaparte, Trans. Linn Soc. London, v. 18, p. "298 (diagnosed), 1841. 

 =:Ranicepini Bonaparte, Cat. Met. Pesci Europei, p. G.*- 

 = Rauicipitiui Bonaparte, Consp. Syst. Ich., 1850. 



Diagnosis. 



Gadoidea with a moderate caudal portion coniform behind and with 

 caudal rays procurrent, submedian anus, a chain of muciferous bones 

 consisting of the enlarged nasal bones connected at the middle, followed 

 bv the suborbitals, the fourth of which is extended backwards and con- 

 nected with a special system of dermal bones over the operculum and 

 continued on the humeral region behind; the hyomaudibular obliquely 

 extending i'orwards and upwards, and with the posterior limbs of the 

 pelvis rod-like. 



Description. 



Body elongated, antrorsiform, depressed forwards, compressed back- 

 wards, graduated from the head to the caudal, and with the caudal pe- 

 duncle slender and continued into the caudal ; anus antemediau. 



Scales small and regularly imbricated. 



Lateral line indistinct, moderately high in front, thence decurvea and 

 obsolete behind. 



Head wide and depressed, with the snout rouixlish or declivous. 



Eyes within the anterior half of the head, mostly lateral, but also in- 

 clined upwards. 



Nostrils double ; the anterior tubular, the posterior with a raised 

 margin; the two separated by a moderately wide bridge. 



'Mouth with the cleft semicircular, quite deep and slightly oblique or 

 nearly horizontal; lower jaw closing within upper. 



Jaivs of the gadoid type; each intermaxilline with a short posterior 

 process and a thin crest near the distal end; t\iQ supramaxilline slightly 

 decurved to tUe end and with a subterminal inferior process. 



Teeth conic, curved and cardiform on the jaws and vomer. 



*Ranicipitidiv <^Raniceps, g. Ranicipitis (in analogy with anceps, aucipitis, biceps, 

 bicipitis) + id(^- 



