1988 Bulletin 4.7, United States National Museum. 



each eye and 1 at the occiput ; the spine on the suprascapula is forked, and 

 the lower fork is twice the length of the other. The upper preopercular 

 spine is about % longer than the second. (rthaTvS, broad ; KEcpaXr], head. ) 

 Cottus platycephalus* PALLAS, Zoogr. Kosso-Asiat., in, 135, 1811, Kamchatka; after STEL- 



LEB; CUVIEB & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. PoiSS., IV, 177, 1829. 



Cottus tceniopterus, KNER, Sitzber Ak. Wiss. Wien, LVIII, 1868, 18, Taf. 14, fig. 10, Decastris 



Bay, near mouth of Amur River. (No. 5574, Mus. Wien.) 

 Megalocottus platycephalus, GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. 1861,166. 



2360. MEGALOCOTTUS LATICEPS (Gilbert). 



This species differs from M. platycephalus (tceniopterus, as shown in Kner's 

 figure) in the following respects: The interorbital width is greater, If 

 times the diameter of the eye in laticeps, equaling the eye in platycephalus. 

 Similarly the distance between the anterior ends of occipital ridges is If 

 times diameter of eye in laticeps, equal to eye in platycephalus. Conspicu- 

 ous supraorbital and occipital tubercles in laticeps, each surmounted by a 

 fleshy filament; in platycephalus " crown and occiput are without promi- 

 nences or spines, covered only with naked warty skin." In laticeps the 

 preopercle has 2 diverging spines, a single downwardly directed spine 

 below them. In platycephalus are 2 downwardly directed spines below the 

 angle. The ventrals are much shorter, not reaching vent when depressed, 

 while in platycephalus they reach the anal palillre. The dorsals are also 

 much lower in laticeps. The principal features of this species are the very 

 broad flat head, short wide snout, projecting lower jaw, the 2 pairs of 

 cephalic tubercles provided with tubercles, the verrucose head, the very 

 short preopercular spines, the large pore behind the last gill, the presence 

 of circular spinous plates above the lateral line and prickles below it. 

 Head and anterior part of body broad, depressed, the depth of head, at 

 occiput, If in its greatest width, its length 2| in body. Body tapering to 

 a slender caudal peduncle, whose least height is equal to diameter of eye. 

 Depth of body 4 to 4f in length. Interorbital space very wide, shallowly 

 concave, its width ! times diameter of orbit, and 4 to 4 in head. The low 

 supraocular ridge ends in a blunt tubercle above hinder margin of eye which 

 grows higher with age, depressed, bounded by 2 low ridges which con- 

 verge very strongly toward the nape, where they curve out again in low 

 rounded tubercles; the inclosed depressed area is twice as wide anteriorly 

 as it is at the narrowest posterior part. A strong temporal ridge, less dis- 



* The following is the substance of Pallas's account of Cottus platycephalus. D. VII-12 ; 



i j i >n i 5 ; v>1 3 - Head lar S e i much depressed, as though crushed, as broad as 



way. lail slender; mouth large, lower jaw projecting; teeth on vomer, none on pala- 



tines. Belly much inflated. Nostrils tubular. Eyes moderate, near together; vertex 



flat behind the eyes, with a ridge on each side, in front of which, near the orbit, is a 



bony tubercle; behind at the nape, oblong tubercles, each ending in a short spine; pre- 



le with 2 very strong, diverging spines above; opercle with a concealed spine ; lateral 



te with concealed elongate plates; between it and the dorsal some round very rough 



warts, smaller ones below ; pectorals large ; dorsal spines feeble. Olivaceous, much varie- 



t^ 4. greeni l h 1 - ines on sides of body below; spots large below the tail; dorsals 



slucent, varied with brown; caudal yellowish with faint bands; pectorals and anal 



TV Al eilg S inches. Kamchatka. (Pallas.) The type in the museum at Berlin 



i the palatines. The generic name Megalocottus was originally based on the 



n ? P n i P re *ence of palatine teeth, a fallacious character. The character of the project- 



utH^m^i^ 8 ' ho , we ^ er |, generic value. Pallas says: "In area lunata palatio med'ii et 



utnnque lineari," which, if we translate it correctly, is not true. 



