320 ANACANTHINI. 



Genus VII — Raniceps, Cuvier. 



Batrachoides, Lacep. 



Branchiostegals seven : pseudobranchim absent. Head large and depressed, body 

 of moderate length, compressed, and somewhat tapering posteriorly. Cardiform teeth 

 in the jaws mixed iviih some larger ones, also cardiform ones on the vomer, but none 

 on the palatines. Two dorsal fins, the first of which is rudimentary : anal similar to 

 second dorsal : caudal distinct. Ventral with six rays. Minute scales on the body. 

 Air-bladder present. Pyloric appendages rudimentary . 



Geographical distribution. — Coasts of northern Europe, extending to the south, 

 of Great Britain and Atlantic shores of France. 



1. Raniceps raninus, Plate XC, fig. 1. 



Barbus minor, Ray, p. 164, f. 8 ; Couch, Linn. Trans, xiv, p. 75. Least halce, 

 Pennant, Brit. Zool. (1776) iii, p. 195 (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 261, and Trifurcated hale, 

 (1776) iii, p. 196, pi. xxxii, Trifurcated tadpole fish (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 272, pi. xxxviii. 

 Be trident, Bonn. Atl. Ich.. p. 51, pi. Ixxxvi, f. 361. 



Blennius raninus, Linn. Syst. IS" at. (Ed. 10) p. 258 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1183. 



Blennius raninus etfuscus, Miiller, Prod. p. 43. 



Blennius trifurcatus, Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 174 ; Turton, p. 93. 



Gadus raninus, Mull. Zool. Dan. t. xlv ; Briinn. Dansk. Yid. Selsk. Skr. xii, 

 p. 291. 



Gadus ftdiginosus, Walb. in Schrift. Ges. Nat. Ereund. Berl. v, 1784, p. 107. 



Gadus trifurcus and minimus, Walb. Art. iii, pp. 139, 143. 



Phycis fusca and ranina, Bl. Schn. p. 57. 



Blennius Eaii, Bl. Schn. p. 171. 



Batrachoides blennioides, Lacep. ii, pp. 451, 456. 



Blennius tridactylus, Lacep. ii, p. 484. 



Raniceps trifurcatus, Flem. p. 194 ; Jenyns, p. 453 ; Tarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 1) 

 ii, p. 204, c. fig". (Ed. 2) ii, p. 292 (Ed. 3) i, p. 598 ; Parnell, Wern. Mem. vii, p. 359, 

 t. xxxvi, and Fishes Firth of Forth, p. 199, pi. xxxvi ; Thompson, Nat. Hist. 

 Ireland, iv, p. 188 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 367 ; Mcintosh, Fish. St. Andrew's, 

 p. 179 ; Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 275. 



Raniceps jag o, Fleming, p. 194. 



Raniceps niger, Nilss. Prod. p. 50, and Skand. Fauna Fisk. p. 594 ; Fries and 

 Ekstr. Skand. Fisk. p. 92, pi. xxi. 



Batrachocephalus blennioides, Holb. Goth. Vet. Scellsk. N. Hancll. iii, p. 39, 



P. fio*. 



Raniceps fusevs, Kroyer, Dan. Fiske, ii, p. 231, c. fig. : White, Catal. Brit. 

 Fish. p. 96. 



Raniceps raninus, Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 125 ; Winther, Ich. Dan. Mar. 

 p. 34. 



Lesser fork-beard, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 122, pi. clii. 



B. vii, D. 3/65-67, P. 20-23, V. 6, A. 57-60, C. 35. 



Length of head 4, of caudal fin 8, height of body 4£ in the total length. Bye 

 — diameters 5i in the length of the head, 1 diameter from the end of the snout, 

 and If apart. The general appearance of the fish is well conveyed by its trivial 

 name of " tadpole fish," its body anteriorly being broad and depressed, while 

 posteriorly it is strongly compressed. Upper surface of the head slightly convex 

 or almost flat : cheeks inflated : snout somewhat overlapping the upper jaw, which 

 is slightly longer than the lower : the posterior extremity of the maxilla reaches 

 to about 1/2 a diameter of the eye posterior to the orbit. Teeth — cardiform in 

 both jaws, those forming the outer row being enlarged and placed some distance 

 asunder : in a transverse patch on the vomer : none on the palatines or tongue. 



