Jordan and Everman n . Fishes of North A merica . 2029 



The following are the species in question : 



Platijccphalus americanus, SAUVAGE, Nouv. Archiv. Mus., 148, pi. 14, fig. 3, 1878, Potomac 

 River. 



This specimen, of course, never came from the Potomac River. The following is the 

 substance of Sauvage's description : Head nearly 3J ; width of head nearty 2 in.its length. 

 No spines at end of snout; a strong spine before eye; rim of orbit armed with spines 

 directed backward, those in front smaller; ridges of vertex slightly prominent, with few 

 spines: check with 4 or 5 strong spines; edge of opercle soft; preopercle with 2 spines, 

 the upper a little the longer, about half space between it and eye ; maxillary reaching mid- 

 dle of eye; snout 2 in eye; lateral line spiny throughout its whole length; second dorsal 

 spine shorter than third, as long as maxillary. Ventrals inserted far from anal; pectoral 

 a little shorter than snout and eye. I'.odv reddish, deep red at caudal peduncle; second 

 dorsal and anal with 2 oblique bands of yellowish; pectoral with similar baud. 

 Platycephalus angustus, STEINDACHNKK, Sitzgbcr. Akad. Wiss. Wicn 1866, 213, taf. 1, fig. 4, 

 Surinam. 



This specimen may not have come from Surinam. The following is the substance of 

 Steindachner's description: Head : ( .A : breadth of head 11 in its length. D.I- VIII, 13; 

 A. 13; scales 108. Eye 7, somewhat greater than breadth of forehead. Caudal with 3 

 deep, blackish-brown, lengthwise stripes; body with small spots and some larger light- 

 brown spots; 3 brown cross bands on posterior half of body. Numerous little raised 

 ridges on preorbital rim, and a short spine; no tentacles? 2 spines on preopercle, the 

 lower eye. Greatest height of first dorsal ^ of second or {' 3 of head. Caudal rounded. 



Family CLXXX. RHAMPHOCOTTIDJE. 



Body short, elevated. Head very large, its greatest depth greater than 

 that of the body ; skull with 2 strong bony ridges from above the front of 

 the eye, continuous with 2 hirge occipital ridges, leaving theinterorhital 

 space and middle lino of tho top of the head strongly concave; snout 

 slender, narrow, and abruptly protruding; mouth very narrow, fl-shaped, 

 its gape longer than wide; teeth villiform, none on the vomer or pala- 

 tines; gill opening confined to the region above the base of the pectorals, 

 the membranes below completely united to the shoulder girdle and isth- 

 mus; apparently no slit behind last gill; a stout, straight, preopercular 

 spine; nasal spines present; no other spines on head. Skin everywhere 

 on head and body firm, immovable, densely covered with stiff, bifid or 

 trifid spinous prickles; spinous dorsal very small; pectoral with pro- 

 current base. North Pacific ; a single species known ; a small shore fish. 

 The following account of the skeleton of Rhamphocottns is given by Mr. 

 Starks: The posterior end of the prominent ridge, which runs backward 

 from the superior orbital rim on each side, is formed by the epiotic pro- 

 cess. It ends in the form of a long "occipital spine ;" almost directly 

 under it is the short parotic process. The post-temporal is short, wide, and 

 flat; its upper end is attached to the inner side of the epiotic spine, and 

 for the whole length of its anterior edge, to the skull between the epiotic 

 and parotic processes. From its lower inner surface it sends a wide, thin 

 bone, which is firmly fastened to the base of the skull. It bears a back- 

 ward projecting spine on its lower end, inside of which the snpraclavicle 

 is attached. Actinosts large, wide and thin, without an opening between 

 them. Subopercle absent; preopercle large, sending a spine backward; 

 opercle triangular on its lower inner angle; the interopercle is developed 

 and strongly coossified with it; it sends a slender process forward under 

 the preopercle; a projection downward from the posterior end of the 

 articular; suborbital wide, thin, and concavo-convex, its convex surface 

 outward. Skull without basal chamber; vertebra 10-f-14. 



