Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2713 



bb. Pseudobranchije none ; pseudobracbia with 3 actinosta. 



c. Ventrals present ; arm angulate, the pseudobrachia elongate. 



ANTENNABIID^:, ccxxii. 

 cc. Ventrals wanting, arm not angulate, the pseudobrachia moderate. 



CEKATIID^E, ccxxm, 



aa. Gill openings in or behind the upper axil of the pectoral; mouth small, usually 

 inferior. OGCOCEPHALID^S, CCXXIV. 



Family CCXXI. LOPHIID^E. 



(THE ANGLERS.) 



Head wide, depressed, very large. Body contracted, conical, tapering 

 rapidly backward from the shoulders. Month exceedingly large, terminal, 

 opening into an enormous stomach; upper jaw protractile; maxillary 

 without supplementary bone; lower jaw projecting; both jaws with very 

 strong, unequal, cardiform teeth, some of the teeth canine-like, most of 

 them deprevssible ; vomer and palatines usually with strong teeth. Gill 

 openings comparatively large, in the lower axil of the pectorals. Pseu- 

 dobrauchi;*; present. Gill rakers none. Gills 3. Skin mostly smooth, 

 naked, with many dermal flaps about the head. Spinous dorsal of 3 iso- 

 lated, tentacle-like spines on the head, and 3 smaller ones behind, which 

 form a continuous fin; second dorsal moderate, similar to the anal; pec- 

 toral members scarcely geniculated, each with 2 actinosts and with elon- 

 gate pseudobrachia; veutrals jugular, I, 5, widely separated, large, much 

 enlarged in the young. Young with the head spinous. Pyloric creca 

 present. Two genera, with 4 or 5 species, living on sea bottoms, at mod- 

 erate or great depths; remarkable for their great voracity. (Pedlculati, 

 part, genus LopMus, Giinther, Cat., HI, 178-182, 1861.) 



a. Vertebrae 27 to 31. LOPHIUS, 1058. 



aa. Vertebrae 18 or 19 only. LOPHIOMUS, 1059. 



1058. LOPHIUS (Artedi) Linnajus. 



(FISHING-FROGS. ) 



LopMus (ARTEDI) LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 1, 236, 1758 (piscatorius). 



Characters of the genus included above. Vertebrae numerous, about 30 

 in number. (Lophius, the ancient name of L. piscatorius, from Ad0o5, a 

 crest.) 



3091. LOPHIUS PISCATORIUS, Linnjeus. 

 (COMMON ANGLER; FISHING-FROG; MONKFISH; GOOSEFISH; ALL-MOUTH; BELLOWS-FISH.) 



D. I-I-I, 111-10; A. 9. Body depressed, tapering, scarcely longer than 

 head. Humeral spine with 3 points, of which the posterior is the longest. 

 Head surrounded with a fringe of barbels; top of head, in young, with 

 many strong spines. Anterior dorsal spine elongate, fleshy at tip. Brown- 

 ish, mottled, below white; mouth behind the hyoid bone immaculate; pec- 

 torals and caudal black at tip; peritoneum black. Length 3 feet. North 

 3030 93 



