2030 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



758. RHAMPHOCOTTUS, Giinther. 



Rhamphocottus, Gunther, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., xiv, 1874, 370 (richardsoni) . 

 Characters of the genus included above. (pdjuQog, snout; Coitus.} 



2397. RHAMPHOCOTTUS RICHARD80NI, Giintlier. 



Head 2; depth 2. D. VII, 13; A. 6; P. 14; orbit 6 in head; maxillary 

 4; snout 3; highest dorsal spine 6; dorsal ray 4; anal ray 4; pectoral 2 } ; 

 ventral 2; caudal 3; vertebrae 10 + 14 = 24. Body short, compressed, the 

 back elevated, its greatest depth just in front of spinous dorsal. Head 

 large, as long as rest of body; snout long and narrow; mouth U-shaped, 

 its gape longer than wide ; lips thick, their surface broken up into papilhe ; 

 maxillary reaching .the nasal spine; lower jaw included; teeth in villi- 

 forrn bands on jaws and vorner, none on palatines; eye placed high, its 

 diameter contained twice in the snout, 1 in the interorbital; a branched 

 dermal flap, as long as pupil, at tip of snout; head with 2 large bony 

 ridges above, continuous with the orbital rim and ending in strong blunt 

 spines at occiput; head deeply concave between these ridges; nasal spine 

 sharp and recurved; a pair of strong spines over the eyes; a sharp spine 

 just above opercle, a blunt one on opercle below flap, and a long sharp one 

 at angle of preopercle, a low bony ridge leading to each of these spines ; a 

 long sharp spine on clavicle just behind gill opening; a blunt bony knob 

 at posterior end of mandibles; gill openings extending upward from 

 upper pectoral ray, their length equal to snout. Entire head and body 

 covered with multipointed spines, those on head much smaller than the 

 ones on sides, a few simple spines along cephalic ridges; the first dorsal 

 spine covered with spines, and each dorsal ray with a row on its side; ti 

 few spines on the base of the pectoral and anal rays. Dorsal spines very 

 weak, fitting in a groove in back ; soft dorsal higher than spinous, the tips 

 of the rays reaching base of caudal fin; anal short, few -rayed, reaching 

 slightly beyond soft dorsal ; pectorals pointed, their lower rays entirely 

 free, reaching about to base of third anal ray; ventrals reaching to ends 

 of pectorals, their origin behind lower part of pectoral base a distance 

 equal to length of snout; caudal rounded behind. Body creamy yellow, 

 with conspicuous irregular dark stripes, edged with black, running 

 obliquely across the body; similar stripes radiating .from eye in all 

 directions, 1 to end of snout, a triangular 1 downward, 1 running 

 backward and downward to middle of preopercle, then turning upward 

 and running nearly to occipital spine, 2 or 3 short ones above, each of 

 these involving the membrane of eye; 2 or 3 black-bordered dark spots 

 on edge of opercle; a light yellow streak surrounded by black across 

 caudal peduncle, behind which all is bright cherry red to the end of cau- 

 dal fin ; 2 similar spots on base of pectoral ; top of head crossed with wavy 

 black-edged dark bars; top of lower jaw black, a line of black spots run- 

 ning along under parts of mandible ; fins all bright red, each ray of dorsal 

 with a sharp black spot at its base, a few spots on dorsal spines; anal, 

 pectorals, and ventrals dark at base. Here described from a specimen 3 



