496 FISHES. 



Small fishes, peculiar to the coasts near the arctic circle, 

 rano'iiig southwards to the coasts of Japan and Scandinavia. 

 Ten species. 



Blenniops. — Body moderately elongate, covered with very 

 small scales ; lateral line none. Snout short ; small teeth in the 

 jaws, none on the palate. Dorsal fin long, formed by spines 

 only. Ventrals with one spine and three rays. Caudal dis- 

 tinct. Grill-openings of moderate width, the gill-membranes 

 coalescent across the isthmus. 



A fine but not common kind of Blenny {B. ascanii), from 

 the British and Scandinavian coasts. 



Centronotus. — Body elongate, covered with very small 

 scales ; lateral line none. Snout short ; very small teeth in the 

 jaws. Dorsal fin long, formed by spines only. Ventrals none 

 or rudimentary ; caudal separate. Gill-openings of moderate 

 width, gill-membranes coalescent. 



Ten species are known from the northern coasts ; south- 

 wards the genus extends to the coasts of France, New York, 

 California, and Japan. G. gunellus, or the " Gunnel-fish " 

 or " Butter-fish," is common on the British coasts. Apo- 

 clichthys is allied to CentronoUis, but the vertical fins are 

 confluent ; and a very large, excavated, pen-like spine lies 

 hidden in a pouch in front of the anal fin. This spine is 

 evidently connected in some way with the generative organs, 

 as a furrow leads from the orifice of the oviduct to the groove 

 of the spine. One species from the Pacific coast of North 

 America. Xipliidion is another closely allied genus from the 

 same locality. 



Cryptacanthodes. — Body very elongate, naked, with a 

 single lateral line. Head with the muciferous system well 

 developed. Eye rather small. Conical teeth in the jaws, on 

 the vomer and palatine bones. One dorsal formed by spines 

 only ; caudal connected with dorsal and anal. Ventrals none. 

 Gill-opening of moderate width, with the gill-membranes joined 

 to the isthmus. 



