Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2015 



on front of first dorsal, and by having the rays of the anal fin in the male 

 all connected by membrane; the first ray of anal is much shorter and 

 weaker in 0. borealis. (borealis, northern.) 



Oligocottuft borealis, JORDAN & SNYDEB, Proc. Cal. Ac. Sci., Series 2, vol. vi, 1896, 225, Neah 

 Bay. (Coll. E. C. Starks. Type, No. 3396. L. S. Jr. Univ. Mus.) 



746. OXYCOTTUS, Jordan & Evermann, new genus. 

 Oxycottus, JORDAN & EVERMANN, new genus (acuticeps). 



This genus is allied to Oligocottus, differing in the absence of upward 

 process on the sharp, upwardly curved preopercular spine. No slit behind 

 last gill. (oiiv$, sharp; Coitus.) 



a. Snout sharp ; anal rays 12 or 13. ACUTICEPS, 2383. 



aa. Snout bluntish; anal rays 10. EMBKYUM, 2384. 



2383. OXYCOTTUS ACUTICEPS (Gilbert) . 



Head 31 to 3|; eye 4 in head; snout 4. D. VII or VIII, 15 or 16; A. 12 or 

 13. Head slenderer and with sharper snout than in O. maculosus. Inter- 

 orbital space slightly concave, its width eye; maxillary region verti- 

 cal just in front of the pupil, 3 in head. Cardiform teeth on jaws, vonier, 

 and palatine bones. Preopercnlar spine slender, sharp, curved upward 

 and inward, neither notched nor forked. Preopercular margin unarmed 

 below it; nasal spines sharp; occiput without ridges or spines; opercle 

 thickened above, ending behind in a rounded lobe ; without definite ridge 

 or spine. Branchiostegals 6; no evident pores behind last gill; gill mem- 

 branes broadly united, free from the isthmus. A cirrus at inner base of 

 nasal spines, 3 pairs evenly spaced on top of head, 1 above orbits, 1 

 posteriorly on occiput, and 1 midway be tween these 2 ; a cirrus at 

 angle of opercle ; 1 above each pore on anterior portion of lateral line; 

 sides of body otherwise smooth, without further cirri and without axil- 

 lary and other prickles. Dorsal fin usually slightly joined at base; pec- 

 torals reaching to or slightly beyond front of anal fin; ventrals short, 

 equaling length of snout and eye, extending halfway to front of anal ; 

 anus anterior in position, thus differing from O. maculosus and C. analis, 

 its distance from base of ventrals but | its distance from front of anal 

 fin ; pores of lateral line 33, each of the anterior 15,usually accompanied by 

 a cirrus. Fin rays in 7 specimens are as follows : 



Color varying with the surroundings, often nearly uniform bright green. 

 When dark markings are present, we usually find 6 short wedge-shaped 

 dorsal bars, widening rapidly below, and joining one another by their 

 extreme tips; below these a dusky wavy lengthwise streak, and another 

 wider one below lateral line, the latter marked posteriorly by round 

 white spots, the size of pupil; occiput dusky; a black bar from eye to 

 snout ; 1 from eye to behind maxillary ; 1 from eye to base of preopercu- 



