FISHES OF FAMILY BLENNIIDAE 43 



Those blenniids that were found to have a kinethmoid were the 

 Blenniini: Blennius marmoreus, B. cristatus (pi. 1), B. canevae, B. 

 parvicornis, B. gattorugine, Hypleurochilus geminatus, H. bermudensis, 

 Medusablennius chani; Omobranchini : Enchelyurus kraussi (fig. 13), 

 E. species A, E. species B; and Salariini: Stanulus talboti (of the two 

 specimens examined, the male did and the female did not have a 

 kinethmoid; whether this is a case of sexual dimorphism or of excep- 

 tional occurrence, or absence, is not known) . 



The presence or absence of teeth on the vomer has been used as a 

 generic character in blenniids. Until Smith's (1959) description of 

 Pereulixia, Lophalticus, and Hirculops — aU with vomerine teeth — 

 only Entomacrodus was reported as having vomerine teeth. I (1967b) 

 found that, although vomerine teeth are characteristic of Entomacrodus, 

 occasional individuals of some species will lack them. (No replace- 

 ment teeth were seen developing on the vomer, and it is possible that 

 all individuals of a given species of Entomacrodus may have them 

 initially, but, if lost accidentally, they are not replaced.) In addition 

 to the above genera, I find that some species of Blennius, Rhabdo- 

 blennius, Praealticus, Stanulus, and an undescribed genus near 

 Rhabdoblennius also have vomerine teeth. In Stanulus, S. talboti has 

 the teeth while S. seychellensis does not. The holotype of Rhabdoblen- 

 nius rhabdotrachelus lacks vomerine teeth, but aU other specimens of 

 the species that I have seen have them. None of the Omobranchini or 

 Nemophidinae are known definitely to have vomerine teeth; however, 

 Sze-Chung (1957) described a species with vomerine teeth, Lem- 

 beichthys jurcocaudalis, that appears to be almost identical with 

 Plagiotremus spilistius. The holotype and only known specimen of the 

 latter species does not have vomerine teeth. Vomerine teeth are 

 typically blunt and short and hidden by the velum of the upper jaw. 

 Their function is not known. 



Sphenoid region. — According to Chabanaud (1936), the basis- 

 phenoid of the higher teleosts is the result of the fusion of two ossifi- 

 cations. One, called "meningoste" by Chabanaud, is formed in the 

 dura mater, and the other, called "belophragme," is formed in the 

 interorbital septum; I have anglicized these words below. Chabanaud 

 concluded that the teleostean basisphenoid is not homologous with 

 that of higher vertebrates and, thus, he proposed the name "propitual" 

 for the bone. I accept Chabanaud's findings but have conserved the 

 name "basisphenoid" because of its widespread usage in ichthyology. 

 Most ichthyologists have overlooked Chabanaud's study. 



In the Blenniinae a basisphenoid is present in aU species. In the 

 Nemophidinae the basisphenoid is absent. In the Blenniini and 

 Salariini the basisphenoid is complete (both belophram and meningost 



290-282—68 4 



