666 Pareioplite, or Mailed-cheek Fishes 
often descending to great depths, in which case the body is very 
soft. One genus, Evantioliparis, is found in the Antarctic. In 
the principal genus, Liparis, the ventral disk is well developed, 
and the spinous dorsal obsolete. Liparis liparis is found on 
both shores of the North Atlantic, and is subject to large varia- 
tions in color. Liparis agassizi is abundant in Japan and north- 
ward, and Liparis pulchellus in California. In the most primi- 
tive genus, Neoliparis, a notch in the fin indicates the separation 
of the spinous dorsal. Neoliparis montagut is common in Europe, 
replaced in New England by Neoliparis atlanticus. Careproctus, 
with numerous elongate species, inhabits depths of the North 
Pacific. In Paraliparis (or Hilgendorfia) ulochir, the ventral 
Fig. 577.—Snailfish, Neoliparis mucosus (Ayres). San Francisco. 
disk is gone and the lowest stage of degradation of the 
Loricate or Scorpena-Cottus type of fishes is reached. No fossil 
lump-suckers or liparids are recorded, although remains of 
Cyclopterus lumpus are found in nodules of glacial clay in 
Canada. 
The Baikal Cods: Comephoride.—The family of Comephoride 
includes Comephorus baikalensis, a large fresh-water fish of 
Lake Baikal in Siberia, having no near affinities with any other 
existing fish, but now known to be a mail-cheek fish related to 
the Cotttde. The body is elongate, naked, with soft flesh and 
feeble skeleton. The mouth is large, with small teeth, and 
the skull has a cavernous structure. There are no ventral 
fins. The spinous dorsal is short and low, the second dorsal 
and anal many-rayed, and the pectoral fins are excessively long, 
almost wing-like; the vertebree number 8 +35 =43, and unlike 
most fresh-water fishes, the species has no air-bladder. Little 
is known of the habits of this singular fish. Another genus is 
recently described under the name of Cottocomephorus. 
