2736 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



small, above and behind the axils of the pectoral fins. Body and head 

 covered with bony tubercles or spines. Spinous dorsal reduced to a small 

 rostral tentacle, which is retractile into a cavity under a prominent proc- 

 ess on the forehead; in 1 genus the rostral tentacle is obsolete; soft 

 dorsal and anal fins small and short; ventrals well developed; pectoral 

 fin well developed, its base strongly angled, with long pseudobrachia 

 and 3 actiuosts. Branchiostegals 5 ; no pseudobranchi*. Genera 8; spe- 

 cies about 30, chiefly American, some of them in the deep sea. (Pediculati, 

 part; genera Malthe and Halieutcea, Giinther, HI, 200-205, 1861.) 



OOCOCEPHALIN^E : 



a. Disk with the frontal region elevated and the snout more or less produced forward, 

 the tail stout; orbits lateral; teeth on vomer and palatines; rostral tentacle 

 present. 



6. Gills 2^ ; disk longer than broad. OGCOCEPHALUS, 1072. 



bb. Gills 2 ; disk broader than long. ZALIEUTES, 1073. 



HALIEUTINJE : 

 aa. Disk with the frontal region depressed, not elevated above the rest; eyes partly 



superior; snout rounded, obtuse in front; tail slender. 

 c. Dorsal fin present. 



d. Vomer and palatines with teeth. HALIEUTICHTHYS, 1074. 



dd. Vomer and palatines toothless. 

 e. Disk subcircular; gills 2^. 



/. Mouth rather large, subvertical ; prickles rather strong. 



HALIEUT^EA, 1075. 

 ff. Mouth rather small, terminal ; prickles feeble. 



HALIEUTELLA, 1076. 

 ee. Disk aubtriangular ; gills 2 ; prickles very strong. 



DlBRANCHUB, 1077. 



1072. OGCOCEPHALUS, Fischer. 



(SEA-BATS.) 



Ogeocephalus, FISCHER, Zoognosia, 78, 1813 (vesper tilio). 

 Oncocephalu*, GILL, modified spelling. 



Malthe, CUVIER, Regne Animal, Ed. i, 11, 311, 1817 (vespertilio). 

 Malthcea, corrected spelling. 



Body stoutish, tapering backward ; head very broad and depressed, tri- 

 angular in form, the forehead elevated and produced. Eyes large, lateral. 

 Mouth rather small, subinferior under the snout; villiform teeth in bands, 

 on jaws, vomer, and palatines. Skin covered with rough, bony tubercles. 

 Dorsal and anal fins very small ; rostral tentacle present, retractile into a 

 cavity under a bony prominence on the forehead ; ventrals present, I, 5, 

 well separated; pectorals large, placed horizontally. Gills 2. No air 

 bladder; no pyloric caeca. Tropical America, in shallow water; small 

 fishes of singular form, often regarded by the ignorant as venomous. 

 (oyuo?, hook; nefyaXr}, head; properly written Oncocephalus, but Fischer 

 chose the above monstrous spelling. ) 



a. Snout produced, the rostral process pointed, 6 to 10 in length of body. 



VESPERTILIO, 3119. 



aa. Snout short, the rostral process 12 to 15 times in length of body. NASUTUS, 3120. 



aaa. Snout short, the rostral tubercle reduced to a button -like tubercle, which is about 



25 times in length of body. RADIATUS, 3121. 



