FISHES OF FAMILY BLEKNIIDAE 51 



canines. These two species are somewhat intermediate between the 

 Omobranchini and other Blenniini and are probably similar to the 

 stock that gave rise to the Omobranchini (specializations of the 

 Omobranchini differentiating them from the Blenniini — and Ne- 

 mophidinae are the spur on the interopercle, the reduction of the 

 pterosphenoid, and the pelvic fins with 1,2 rays). The jaws and 

 dentition of the Omobranchini (reduced and strengthened premaxillary 

 ascending processes, sutured lower jaws, enlarged canines in both 

 jaws) are markedly similar to the jaws and dentition of the Nemoph- 

 idinae, which differ from those of the Omobranchini mainly iu having 

 further reduced and strengthened the premaxillary ascending processes 

 and in having further enlarged or otherwise modified the dentary 

 canines. The highly restricted gUl opening of the Nemophidinae is 

 found in most members of the Omobranchini and may be additional 

 evidence for a common ancestor. That the Nemophidinae are more 

 specialized than the Omobranchini and other Blenniinae is indicated 

 by their loss of the basisphenoid and intercalar. 



As mentioned above, there are genera of the Salariini with jaws 

 and dentition intermediate between the Blenniini and most specialized 

 Salariini. The Salariini are obvious offshoots of the Blenniini or the 

 group that gave rise to the Blenniini. A hypothetical phylogenetic tree 

 for the four suprageneric taxa that I recognize in the Blenniidae can be 

 constructed as follows (in doing this, I am fully congnizant of the in- 

 herent problems of basing such a tree on the living members of a 

 group) : 



Nemophidinae 



Omobranchini 

 Salariini 



Blenniini 



Other skull bones. — Prootics: In many perciforms each prootic 

 possesses a ventral, mesially extending ledge that joins the ledge from 

 the opposite prootic to form a roof, with the basisphenoid (meningost 

 portion), over the anterior portion of the posterior myodome. A 

 prootic roof was found only in Blennius cristatus and B. galerita. 



Roofing Bones: Two genera, Enchelyurus (fig. 13) and Runula 

 (pi. 8) are distinct in the Blenniidae in having the frontals fused 

 (synostosis) into a single bone, with little or no evidence of a joint 

 line between them. It is possible that Xiphasia, Plagiotremus, and 

 LembeichthySf which are closely related to Runula, also may have the 

 frontals fused. Fusion of the frontal has been reported also in, and as 



