FISHES COTTIDAE ZANIOLEPIS LATIPINNIS. 73 



ZANIOLEPIS, Girard. 



GEN. CHAR. Upper surface of head spineless. Preopercle spinous. Mouth moderate, with its gape horizontal and the 



jaws sub-equal. Card-like teeth upon the preraaxillaries, dentaries, front of vomer, and palatines. Gill openings con 

 tinuous under the throat ; branchiostegals six on either side. Dorsal fins contiguous ; anterior one longer than the second. 

 Caudal posteriorly sub-crescentic. Insertion of ventrals situated posteriorly to the base of pectorals. Dermic productions 

 comb-like. 



STN. Zaniodermis, GRD. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. November, 1857, 202. 



A very peculiar genus, and related to Blepsias and Trachidermis. The prickles of the skin, 

 however, assume a compound character in the shape of comb-like scales. It may, furthermore, 

 be distinguished from Blepsias by a much larger anterior dorsal fin ; by the structure of its 

 pectorals, the outer inferior margin of which is not scalloped ; by the presence of an isthmus 

 under the throat, and five branchiostegals instead of six, and by the upper surface of the head, 

 which is spineless. 



ZANIOLEPIS LATIPINNIS, Grd. 

 PLATE XVII, FIGS. 5 & 6. 



SPEC. CHAR. Three small spines upon the convexity of the preopercle. First dorsal much longer than the second, with 

 its two anterior rays protracted beyond the others. Anal fin longer than the soft dorsal and provided with three spinous rays. 

 Upper surface and sides of head prickly and rough like the surface of the body. Color, yellowish brown ; fins spotted or barred 

 with black. 



STN. Zaniolepis lalipinnis, GRD. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad Novembar, 1857, 202. 



The greatest depth of the body corresponds to the thoracic region ; hence it is tapering con 

 siderably towards the peduncle of the tail. The thickness is somewhat more than half the 

 depth. The total length of the specimen described is nine inches. 



The head constitutes about the fifth of the total length ; its upper surface is very declivous 

 towards a sub-conical snout. The jaws are sub-equal, the mouth moderate in size, with its gape 

 quite horizontal. The posterior extremity of the maxillary extends to a vertical line intersecting 

 the pupil. The eye is large, sub-elliptical, its horizontal diameter entering about three times and 

 a half, or a little more, in the length of the side of the head, and exactly once in advance of the 

 anterior rim of the orbit. Three small spines may be observed upon the convexity of the pre 

 opercle, two of which directed upwards, the third downwards. The other bones of the opercular 

 apparatus are deprived of either spines or serratures. The supra-scapular exhibits a minute 

 spine. The branchial fissures are continuous under the throat ; there are six branchiostegals 

 on either side. 



The fins are conspicuously developed. The origin of the dorsal is situated in advance of the 

 insertion of the pectorals near the occipital region. It is highest anteriorly, and diminishes 

 gradually from the first to the last spine, with the exception of the second, which is protracted 

 beyond the rest of them. The first and second rays are but slightly connected by the inter- 

 radial membrane. The soft dorsal is contiguous to the former ; its anterior margin raises 

 abruptly above the last spine of the first dorsal, diminishing also gradually backwards. The 

 anal fin is much longer than the soft dorsal ; its origin is situated somewhat posteriorly to the 

 middle of the spinous dorsal, but does not extend quite so far back as the soft dorsal. It is 

 composed anteriorly of three slender spines, shorter than the rest of the rays, which increase 

 gradually in depth to the penultimate, which is shorter than the ante-penultirnate. The last 

 ray alone is smaller than the anterior spines. The caudal, which is sub-crescentic upon its 

 10 a 



