48 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 84 



in adults, somewhat weakly in the young. In Omohranchus elegans 

 the dorsal end of the ascending process of the premaxillary abuts 

 against the median ethmoid, similar to the condition found in some 

 Blenniini. The dentaries of all species, with the possible exception 

 of Omohranchus herklotsi, are joined medially by a suturing joint. 



In the Salariini (this discussion excludes mention of larval stages) 

 there is a canine, rarely two (for exceptions, see below), present on 

 each dentary of most species. The presence or absence of canines and 

 their relative size is sometimes sexually dependent (in such instances, 

 the males have them and the females do not, or those of the males 

 are larger). When present, the canines are well separated from the 

 comblike teeth, except the anterior pair in Ecsenius (see p. 49). The 

 canines may be relatively large and pointed as in some species of 

 Entomacrodus or quite reduced and blunted as in some species of 

 Ecsenius and Glyptajparus. The premaxillaries never bear canines. 

 One species of Ecsenius, E. mandibularis, has a linear series of up to 

 eight canines on each dentary, all about equal in size, and in Glypto- 

 jparus as many as three canines are commonly present on each dentary. 



The number of comblike teeth on both premaxillaries in the Salariini 

 number from 30 in an undescribed genus to about 250 in Cirripectes 

 jenningsi. The number of comblike teeth on both dentaries ranges 

 from 22 in Hirculops to 147 in Atrosalarias. There is a relatively sharp 

 break in the number of upper jaw teeth between a small group of 

 genera related to Rhabdoblennius, in which group the numbers rarely 

 exceed 50 (79 in an undescribed genus), and those of the majority of 

 the genera, wherein the numbers exceed 100. These differences are 

 associated, for the most part, with certain changes in the structure 

 of the premaxillaries. Usually the number of teeth in the upper jaw 

 greatly exceeds the number in the lower jaw and may be as much as 

 three times as great (Ecsenius). The only information as to whether 

 number of teeth increases with increase in standard length in the 

 Salariini was reported by Springer and Smith-Vaniz (1968) for Atro- 

 salarias, in which there was a highly significant correllation between 

 upper or lower jaw teeth and standard length. 



Norman (1943) described the premaxillaries of the Salariini as 

 forming a bony crest for reception of the upper lip. He described the 

 teeth, except in Rhabdoblennius, as being movable. The bony crest is 

 not as Norman described it, and the movability of the teeth is depend- 

 ent to some extent on the number of teeth in the jaws. In those species 

 with relatively few teeth in the upper jaw (and/or lower jaw) the teeth 

 are proportionately stronger, and the connective tissue holds them 

 more tightly to the jaw. In all the genera with large numbers of teeth 

 as well as in Croalfus, Antennablennius, Rhabdoblennius, Glyptoparus, 

 and two undescribed genera, which have small numbers of upper 



