2 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 84 



twice; (3) dorsal hypurals fused to each other and to urostyle to 

 form chief articulation for upper caudal rays (however, hypural 5 

 may be separate); (4) pelvics present and seldom degenerate 

 (absent in the monotypic genus Plagiotremvs) ; (5) lateral line always 

 simple. 



Makushok (1958) reaflSrmed the separation of the northern and 

 tropical blennies as proposed by Hubbs, but he split the northern 

 blennies into three superfamilies (Stichaeoidae, Cryptacanthodoidae, 

 Zoarceoidae [I have emended Makushok's spelling of the last two 

 names]), which he did not consider as necessarily being closely related. 

 Makushok also re-evaluated and modified the characters given by 

 Hubbs (1952) to distinguish the northern blennies. In addition, he 

 proposed other characters for separating the northern and tropical 

 blennies: the presence of a basisphenoid and two nostrils on each 

 side of the head in the tropical blennies as opposed to the absence 

 of a basisphenoid and the presence of a single nostril on each side 

 of the head in the northern blennies. The nostril character holds 

 in all the tropical blennies I have seen, but a basisphenoid is lacking 

 in at least one subfamily of that group (Nemophidinae, family Blen- 

 niidae). Conclusions based on morphological separation of the two 

 groups of blennies are enforced by geographic separation. As their 

 common names imply, there is very little geographic overlap between 

 the distributions of the Blenniicae and the Zoarcicae (in Hubbs' 

 sense). Where overlap does occur, only a relatively few species of 

 the Blenniicae are involved. 



Gosline (1968) recognized five superfamilies in the Blennioidei, the 

 first three and last of which expand the suborder as considered by 

 Hubbs (1952) and Makushok (1958): Notothenioidae, Trachinoidae, 

 Congrogadoidae, Blennioidae (including only the Blenniicae or tropi- 

 cal blennies of Hubbs and Makushok), and Zoarceoidae (in which he 

 included Makushok's three superfamilies of northern blennies and 

 the Bathymasteridae, Zaproridae, and, questionably, the 

 Derepodichthyidae and Scytalinidae). Gosline diagnosed the Blennio- 

 idae as follows: 



Head compressed or rounded. Two nostrils on each side. Gill-openings more or 

 less restricted below, the gill membranes attached to one another or to the isthmus. 

 Circumorbital bones usually firmly connected, without a subocular shelf from the 

 second. Medial tabular usually fused to the parietal. Front and rear of suspenso- 

 rium firmly connected. Prootic usually excluded from the internal orbital border 

 Basisphenoid present. 



Pectoral actinosts columnar, longer than scapula and coracoid are broad, the 

 upper pectoral ray articulating with an actinost (except Tripterygiidae) . Pelvic 

 fins with two to four soft rays of which the outer are strengthened and the mem- 

 brane between the rays deeply incised (except such scondarily pelagic forms as 

 Aspidontus, Runula, Xiphasia). Dorsal and anal soft rays usually unbranched. 



