100 
Parapercis, which is typically percoid in these 
respects. Nor does Crystallodytes show any re- 
lationship to any of the other fishes investigated 
in these structures. Indeed, the only fishes that 
would seem to have a suspensorium anything 
like that of Crystallodytes are the congrogadids 
(cf, Regan, 1912: fig. 2b, and Smith, 1952: 
pi. 6B). 
The three ammodytoid fishes may be defined 
as follows: elongate fishes with premaxillati.es 
highly protrusile. Circumorbital bones incom- 
plete, the lacrimal and first circumorbital sepa- 
rated from the rest of the series. Fins without 
spines or unsegmented rays except for the pro- 
current rays of the caudal (pelvic rays of Em- 
bolichthys?) . Caudal forked or emarginate, pre- 
ceded by a well-marked caudal peduncle which 
is supported by five or more vertebrae with 
bladelike neural and hemal spines. P'elvics ab- 
sent (of a spine and three rays in Embolicbtbys, 
Jordan, 1902). Vertebrae 55 to 69, the abdom- 
inal vertebrae more numerous than the caudal, 
in approximately a one-to-one relationship with 
the dorsal and anal rays above and below 
them. Cleithra and supracleithra almost verti- 
cally aligned. 
The analysis of Hypoptycbus indicates that 
it is widely separated from Ammodytes and 
Bleekeria, Though the three genera hold a num- 
ber of features in common it would seem that 
Hypoptycbus has evolved in quite a different 
direction from the other two. Thus, while Hy- 
poptycbus remains more percoid in jaw struc- 
ture and skull-vertebral column articulation, it 
has become more specialized (degenerate?) in 
almost every other feature: the bones are thin; 
the branchiostegal rays and fin rays are reduced 
in number; the scales have been completely 
lost; etc. Hypoptycbus well warrants the sepa- 
rate family Hypoptychidae apparently first as- 
signed to it by Jordan (1923: 230). 
The families Hypoptychidae and Ammody- 
tidae may be contrasted as follows. 
Hypoptychidae. Scales entirely lacking. Jaws 
subequal, the premaxillary with teeth and with 
its long pedicel firmly attached. Branchiostegal 
rays 4. Articular facets of the exoccipitals widely 
separate. Dorsal and anal fins equal in length, 
of about 20 rays. Caudal with 13 principal rays; 
pectorals with 9. 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XVII, January 1963 
Ammodytidae. At least some scales present. 
Lower jaw protruding, sharptipped. Premaxil- 
lary without teeth and with its pedicel movably 
attached to its lateral portion. Branchiostegal 
rays 7 or 8. Articular facets of exoccipitals con- 
tiguous. Dorsal extending far forward of the 
anal. Caudal with 15 principal rays; pectorals 
with 13. 
The problem of ammodytoid origin remains 
obscure. The majority of features point to a 
percoid origin of some sort, but none of the 
percoid families known to the author would 
seem to provide a suitable ancestor. 
The ammodytoids in turn would appear to 
have led to nothing with the exception of one 
highly speculative possibility. If the terminal 
vertebra of Hypoptycbus is not merely the re- 
sult of fusion in an aberrant specimen, then a 
progressive evolution along many of the lines 
already apparent in that fish might end in a 
neotenic form very like Schindleria (cf, Gos- 
line, 1959). 
Whatever the ancestors and derivatives of 
the ammodytoids may be, they remain, so far 
as known, sufficiently isolated and characterized 
to warrant fully the superfamily status among 
the Percoidei that has generally (cf, Regan, 
1913) been assigned to them. 
REFERENCES 
Berg, L. S. 1940. Classification of fishes, both 
recent and fossil Trav. Inst. Zool. Acad. Sci. 
U.R.S.S., Leningrad, 5: 87-517, 190 figs. 
VAN Dobben, W. H. 1935. liber den Kiefer- 
mechanismus der Knochenfische. Arch. Neer- 
landaises de Zool. 2: 1—71, 50 figs. 
L> unck.ee, G , and E. Mohr. 1939’. Revision der 
Ammodytidae. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin 24: 
8-31, 4 figs. 
Goslime, W. A. 1955. The osteology and re- 
lationships of certain gobioid fishes, with 
particular reference to the genera Kraemeria 
and Microdesmus. Pacific Sci. 9(2): 158- 
170, 7 figs. 
— — — - 1959. Four new species, a new genus, 
and a new suborder of Hawaiian fishes. Pa- 
cific Sci. 13(1): 67-77, 6 figs. 
