260 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 



DISCOBOLI. 



The union of the ventrals into a disk with which the fish can adhere, as by a 

 sucker, to stones and other substances, is a distinguishing character of this family. 

 The species, few in number, are arranged in two genera — Lepadogaster, mostly 

 European, and not hitherto detected in America; and Cyclopterus, distributed 

 throughout the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific. The following have been 

 enumerated among the fish of the United States. Cyclopterus lumpus, Penn., 

 Smith (C. cceruleus, Mitchill) ; C. mmutus, Smith. — C. ventricosus, Pall., 

 and C. gelatinosus, Idem, inhabit the sea between Kamtschatka and America. 



[105.] 1. Cyclopterus lumpus. (Linn.) The Lump. 



Family, Discoboli. Cuv. Genus, Cyclopterus. Linn. Sub-genus, Lumpus. Cuv. 



Cyclopterus lumpus. Fabr., Faun. Grcenl., p. 131. 



Common lump. Penn., Arct. Zoo/., Suppl., p. 110. No. 13. 



Blue lump fish (Cyclopterus coeruleus). Mitchill, i., p. 480, pi. II., f. 7. 



Nepeesa, Angusedlok, male, AmatAXok, female , Greenlandbrs. 



The genus Cyclopterus possesses a well-marked character in the form of the 

 ventrals, whose rays surround the pelvis, and are united by a membrane into a 

 single concave oval disk, or sucker. The mouth is wide, and the jaws and pharyn- 

 geals are armed with bands of small pointed teeth ; the gill-covers are small, and 

 the gill-openings are closed below by their membrane, in which there are six rays. 

 The very large pectorals unite with each other almost under the throat so as to 

 embrace the disk of the ventrals. The skeleton acquires little bony hardness, but 

 the viscous skin, destitute of scales, is sprinkled with small hard tubercles. The 

 stomach is pretty large, the caeca numerous, the intestine long, and the air-bladder 

 of a moderate size. There are two sub-genera, Lumpus and Liparis, which are 

 distinguished from each other by the form of the body and the presence of one or 

 two dorsals. In the lumps there is a very low first dorsal supported by simple 

 rays, and a second one with branched rays opposed to the anal ; the body is thick. 

 The Common lump appears to be an inhabitant of both sides of the North Atlantic, 

 in all the temperate latitudes, and up to the Arctic circle ; but it seems to be most 



