Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2185 



799. CALLIONYMUS, Linnajus. 



Callionymus, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 249, 1758 (lyra). 



Tliis genus includes Dragonets with the ventral fins entire, without de- 

 tached ray, the gill opening reduced to a small foramen opening upward, 

 and the lateral line single ; head triangular, depressed ; eyes directed up- 

 ward; preopercular spine very large; sexual differences strongly marked. 

 Species numerous, living on sea bottoms at some depth, (nd^ig, beauty ; 

 ovofj-a, name.) 



a. Dorsal rays IV, 8 or 9 ; anal rays 8 ; some of the dorsal spines filamentous. 



b. Preopercular spine very long, armed with about 9 hooks or spinules ; caudal not 

 filamentous. BAIRDI, 2511. 



66. Preopercular spine strong, bifurcate; caudal fin more or less produced or fila- 

 mentous. HIMANTOPHORUS, 2512. 

 aa. Dorsal rays III, 6 or IV, 6; anal rays 4. 



c. Preopercular spine with 2 barbs, the anterior turned forward ; body with white 



spots. CALLIURUS, 2513. 



cc. Preopercular spine with 3 teeth above, ending in an acute point. 



PAUCIRADIATUS, 2514. 

 2611. CALLIOXYMUS BAIRDI, Jordan. 



Head 3 ; depth 9. D. IV, 9 ; A. 8. Body long and low, very slender, 

 the head much depressed, the least depth of the caudal peduncle about 

 equal to the diameter of the eye. Head triangular as viewed from above, 

 its breadth f its length, exclusive of the preopercular spine. Snout blunt- 

 ish as seen from above, sharp in profile, its outline straight and moderately 

 steep until above the eyes ; profile behind the eyes considerably depressed. 

 Snout 2f in head to gill opening ; eye 4 ; mouth small, inferior, the maxil- 

 lary reaching front of eye, as long as snout; lower lip conspicuous. 

 Teeth slender, in villiform bauds in both jaws, none on voiner. Iiiteror- 

 bital area a simple narrow ridge. Bones of head behind eyes rugose ; a 

 low rough tubercle of bare bone above the temporal region on each side, 

 somewhat behind each eye. Preopercular spine very long, as long as eye, 

 its exterior ridge with a single antrorse spinule at its base, its posterior 

 edge with 8 conspicuous hooks turned forward and inward, these growing 

 progressively smaller from the second. Gill opening reduced to a pore at 

 upper posterior angle of opercle, its width rather less than that of pupil. 

 Dorsal spines strong, the first ending in a slender filament, the whole as 

 long as head; second and third spines broken (probably each with a short 

 filament in life, as a short filament is still present on the fourth spine) ; 

 fourth spine well behind third (leaving room for another spine, although 

 no trace of such spine is present); soft dorsal high, most of its rays 

 slightly filamentous at tip, the longest about f head ; caudal subtruncate, 

 not filamentous, about as long as head to base of preopercular spine; anal 

 fin rather high, the length of its base 3 in body ; pectorals about as long 

 as ventrals, each as long as head without preopercular spine. Lateral 

 line single. Color light grayish, mottled or spotted with yellowish and 

 dark brown ; cheeks with steel-bluish spots ; first dorsal with dusky retic- 

 ulations around pale gray spots ; second dorsal and caudal with nar- 

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