THE OSTEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FAMILY HEMI- 

 TRIPTERID^. 



BY 



Theodore Gill., M. D., Ph. D. 



(With plate xxxi.) 



Much difference of opinion has prevailed respecting the relationship 

 of the genus Hemitriptenis and its taxomomic rank. By the older au- 

 thors it was approximated to the cottiform genera. In the " Catalogue 

 of the Fishes of the Eastern Coast of i^orth America "' (1861, p. 42), it 

 was referred to the family ^'Cottoid(e" as distinguished from the "iScor- 

 j9wnoid(e." Dr. Giinther subsequently removed it to the family Scor- 

 panoidce. Influenced by Dr. Giinther's views, I also subsequently (1865) 

 transferred the genus to the family Seorpwnidw, isolating it, however, 

 as a subfamily type. Later (in 1872 aud 1876), I elevated it to family 

 rank and approximated it to the Cottidce. By most American ichthyolo- 

 gists, the genus has been referred to the family Cottidce. A reexamina- 

 tion of the genus was undertaken to ascertain what more detailed study 

 would indicate. The results may be formulated in three dicta: 



(1) The genus Hemitripterus is unquestionably very closely related 

 to the Cottidce. 



(2) The genus and the Cottidce agree in so many respects and differ 

 so much from others that they may be segregated in a peculiar super- 

 family, the Cottoidea. 



(3) The difference between Hemitripterus and the other Cottoidea war- 

 rant the isolation of the genus in a peculiar family, the Hemitripteridce. 



The detailed description of the family and the accompanying illustra- 

 tions will furnish the data for judgment by others. 



HEMITRIPTERID^. 



Synonyms as family name. 



=Hemitriptend(e Gill, Arrangement Family of Fishes, p. 6, 1872 (not defined). 



=nemitripterida Gill, Johnson's New Univ. Cycl., vol. 2, p. 873, 1876 (defined). 



=Remitripterida; Gill, Standard Nat. Hist., vol. 3, p. 254, 1885 (named only). 



Triplidce gea., Bonaparte. 



Cottoidei gen., Bleeker (1659). 



Scorpoenidw gen., Giinther. 



Cottidce sub-fam., Jordan aud Gilbert. 



Proceedings National Museum, Vol. XITI.— No. 835. 



377 



