Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 1985 



provided with prominences which are not spine-like ; opercle and supra- 

 scapnla each with a strong ridge ending in a spine; no scapular spine. 

 Nasal spines small, not projecting; top of head, nape, and suborbital 

 ring with small warts, many of which contain openings of the mucous 

 canals ; both pairs of nostrils with short, wide tubes. Jaws and vomer 

 with wide bands of cardiform teeth of equal size. A round pore, nearly as 

 large as nostril, immediately behind last gill; gill membranes with a 

 short free border inesially. Least iiiterorbital Avidth diameter of orbit, 

 which is 4, length of head to tip of opercular spine ; greatest width of 

 head Ifm its length. Mouth large, the lower jaw included, the maxillary 

 reaching the vertical immediately behind the orbit, its length 2? in head. 

 Third, fourth, and fifth dorsal spines nearly equal, the fifth longest, equal 

 to length of snout and eye ; a very short interspace between the 2 dor- 

 sals; second dorsal very high, the longest rays equaling length of snout 

 and eye; caudal gently rounded when spread, its length that of head 

 to end of opercular spine; ventrals reaching halfway to front of anal, 

 M|iialing height of second dorsal; pectorals scarcely to vent, the length 

 of the longest rays equaling distance from eye to tip of opercular spine; 

 vent midway between base of caudal and base of lower pectoral ray; 

 skin everywhere smooth. Coloration very dark on back and sides, white 

 below, with traces of blackish cross bars below the dorsal fins; along 

 lower part of sides a number of Jarge roundish white spots, which are 

 present also in a band along base of anal, becoming smaller posteri- 

 orly and toward middle of sides; sides of head and body, and especially 

 the dorsal, caudal, and pectoral iiiis with scattered small spots of pearly 

 white; spinous dorsal with large, roundish, transparent spots, the anal 

 margined with white and marked with scattered white spots of various 

 sizes and shapes ; the thickened pectoral rays largely white ; ventrals with 

 3 dusky cross bars ; lower lip and mandible with white areas surrounded 

 by dusky reticulations. Okhotsk Sea, the type from St. Olga Bay. Here 

 described from a large specimen 39 cm. long from Iturup Island, one of the 

 Kurils. (Coll. Albatross.) Our specimen agrees well with the description 

 of the much smaller type (185 mm), apparently differing in the shorter 

 pectorals and more deeply concave interorbital space. The white spots 

 also show no tendency to run together to form streaks either along back 

 or on the bases of the fins, (nirosus, snowy.) 



Cottus nivosus, HERZENSTEIN, Melanges Biologiques du Bull. Acad. Imp. Sci. Petersb., xir, 



113, 1890, St. Olga Bay. 

 Myoxocephalus nivosus, JORDAN &. GILBERT, Kept. Fur. Seal Invest., 1898. 



2358. MYOXOCEPHALUS NIGER (Bean). 



(BLACK SCULPIN.) 



Head 2|, D. IX or X, 16; A. 11 or 12; V. I, 3; P. 16; B. 6. Nasal 

 spines blunt, covered with skin; no spines above orbits or on occiput; no 

 sharp spines on head except the 2 upper preopercular spines, which are 

 almost concealed; the uppermost as long as eye, 6 in head, and equal to 

 snout or interorbital space; top of head with fine dermal granulations, the 



