266 CLASSIFICATION OF VERTEBRATES. 



ventrals jugular ; scales cycloid or wanting. A single family, BATRACHID^E, 

 mostly from warmer seas. Batrachus, toad-fish ; Thalassophryne, poison 

 toad-fish. Porichthys, midshipman, of Pacific coast, with numerous dermal 

 organs, in structure resembling phosphorescent organs, but not luminous. 



ORDER VII. PEDICULATI. 



Pectorals broad, suspended by an < arm ' formed by the 

 elongation of the basilar bones ; head and anterior part of body 

 very large, without scales ; spinous dorsal far forward, the 

 spines often like tentacles ; gill opening a small foramen in or 

 near the axilla ; ventrals jugular. The most specialized of 

 fishes, with possibly an haplodocan ancestry. 



LOPHIID^E, large mouth ; strong teeth ; ventrals present. Lophius, 

 angler or goose-fish ; the genus dates from the eocene. ANTENNARIID.E, 

 pectorals bent at an elbow-like angle ; ventrals jugular ; Pterophryne, in 

 gulf-weed. Antennarius. MALTHID^E, mouth small, usually inferior. 

 Malthe, sea-bats. 



ORDER VIII. PLECTOGNATHI. 



Bones of upper and lower jaws each co-ossified ; post- 

 temporal simple ; ventrals reduced or wanting ; gills pectinate ; 

 gill opening narrow, just in front of pectorals ; spinous dorsal 

 small or wanting. The plectognaths have arisen from near the 

 squamipinnes (above), the teuthids being very near the trigger 

 fishes. 



FIG. 267. Swell-fish, Chilomycterus geometricus, after Goode. 



SCLERODERMI, jaws with distinct teeth ; spinous dorsal present ; body 

 with scales or movable plates. Batistes, file-fish or trigger-fish ; Mona- 

 canthus, file-fishes; Acanthoderma, eocene; Altitera, unicorn-fish. Os- 

 TRACODERMI, jaws with distinct teeth ; body enclosed in a three, four, or 



