1974 Bulletin 4.7 > United States National Museum, 



2348. MYOXOCEPHALUS SCORPIUS (Linnajus). 



(EUROPEAN SCULPIN; TlLKE.) 



Head 2; deptli 4. D. X, 1H; A. 14. General characters of Myoxo- 

 cephaltis yrccnlandicus, from which it differs chiefly in the smaller size, the 

 narrower iiiterorbital space, which is f diameter of eye, and in the lower 

 spinous dorsal, the highest spines being about $ the length to base of cau- 

 dal; pore behind last gill usually very small, but evident. Dark olivace- 

 ous, mottled with paler; fins dusky, with paler spots. Northern Europe 

 and Arctic regions, not common on our coasts; recorded by Dr. Llitken 

 from the Baltic, Finland, Spitzbergen, New Zeinbla, coasts of England, 

 and Northern Asia; recorded from Eastport, Maine. (Eu.) (<5Kop7tio$, 

 scorpion, the root of our word sculpin.) 



Ulka. LINNJEUS, Iter Scand., 325. 



Cottwt scorpius, LINNJKUS, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 265, 1758, after Iter Scand.; GUNTHER, Cat. 



Fishes, n, 159 ; BEAN, Bull. U.S.Nat. Mus., xv, 116; JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 



702: LILLJIBORG, Sveriges och Norges Fiskar, 135, 1891. 



2349. MYOXOCEPHALUS GRflEKLANDICUS (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 

 (DADDY SCULPIN.) 



Head 2|; depth 4. D. X, 17; A. 14; V. I, 3; P. 18. Head large. Eye 

 large, equal to least iiiterorbital width (in specimens a foot long). Mouth 

 large, the lower jaw included; maxillary reaching posterior edge of orbit 

 2 in head; the supraorbital and occipital spines blunt, tubercle-like, with- 

 out cirrus; a small tubercular spine on front of occipital ridge; upper 

 preopercular spine short, only reaching the middle of opercular spine, its 

 length equaling eye, not twice that of the spine below it; opercular spine 



much posteriorly, and its height, before the caudal, is 21 times in the total length. The 

 head is moderately broad and depressed, its length is 3f in the total. The cleft of the 

 mouth is moderate, the maxillary reaching to the vertical from the center of the eye; the 

 snout is not very obtuse, and the upper jaw slightly overhangs the lower; there is a pair 

 of small spines above the snout. The space between the eyes is slightly concave, and its 

 width rather more than the horizontal diameter of the eyes ; there is an obtuse protuber- 

 ance above the posterior angle of the orbit, from which a slight ridge proceeds to the 

 occipital protuberance ; the latter is very little prominent, and furnished with small skinny 

 tentacle. The impression between these 2 pairs of protuberances is shallow, and becomes 

 narrower posteriorly, being nearly twice as long as broad. The preopercurum is armed 



crown ; it is not continuous with the soft. The fourth spine is the longest, its length 

 being somewhat less than that of the maxillary bone, and a little less than that of the 

 ninth ray. The caudal has the posterior margin slightly convex, and its length is 6 in 

 the total. The anal is formed by 12 rays, and begins in the vertical from the fifth dorsal 

 ray, and terminates a little before the opposite fin; its height equals that of the spinous 

 dorsal. The pectoral is composed of 16 simple rays, and reaches to the vent, which is 

 situated nearly in the middle of the total length. The root of the ventral* falls behind 

 that of the pectoral; they terminate at a great distance from the vent, and are composed 

 ?T 8P ,5!J? - ra P* , The 8pine is enveloped in the same membrane with the first ray ; 



,-, ' jji T TV, !" ^0 ciivuiupcu 111 iiiu Hitiiu; iijemuraiie wnii iue mat ray ; 



nt? i"; 1 ?!, 18 the Ingest, flat and compressed like the interior. The lateral line is 

 ed to the caudal, and is composed of elongate bony tubes, 38 in number. This 

 ahoTt? 1 I'VT!' 7 en S r . e1 ^ smooth, exhibiting, however, some flat and smooth warts 

 ^e the lateral line ; it is a female. The young specimen differs from the adult one ' 

 t anal rays. The colors have somewhat faded; the upper parts are brown, wi 

 2S hSfcSSi! ^ - 6 *f cto , ra1 ' dorsa1 ' and caildal fills appear to ve been spotted, t: 

 being arranged in bands; the lower part of the sides with several white spots." 



