Gobioid Fishes — Gosline 
163 
Fig. 5. Skull of Eviota, a , b ( a , left half from above; 
b, left half from below) and of Kraemeria, c, d ( c , right 
half from below; d , right half from above), bo, basi- 
occipital; eo, exoccipital; ep, epiotic; fm, foramen 
magnum; fr, frontal; me, mesethmoid; op, opisthotic; 
pf, prefrontal; PR, prootic; PS, parasphenoid; pt, pter- 
otic; so, supraoccipital; sp, sphenotic; vo, vomer. The 
non-ossified area on the ventral surface of the Krae- 
meria skull is partly stippled. 
In all the gobioid fishes at hand the skull 
is abruptly narrowed between the orbits. In 
the interorbital region the dorsal surface of 
the skull may be flat as in Eleotris and Awaous , 
form a concave trough as in Ptereleotris and 
Eviota , or a narrow ridge as in the other gen- 
era. The prefrontals are always rather small 
and may be firmly attached to the skull, more 
or less movably attached, or completely free 
as in Kraemeria (Fig. 1). 
The vomer is toothless in the genera under 
discussion. 
There is no basisphenoid. 
The individual bones of the lower surface 
of the cranium of some of these fishes are not 
sufficiently well demarcated to allow their 
certain determination. Consequently, only 
two bones in this area will be mentioned. The 
alisphenoids appear to be lacking and, so far 
as I am aware, are unknown in gobioid fishes. 
With regard to the opisthotics, Regan (1911: 
729) states that these bones are, "large, reach- 
ing basioccipital and separating exoccipitals 
from prootics.” Actually, the opisthotics ap- 
pear to be very variable in the gobioid fishes. 
In Awaous they agree well with Regan’s state- 
ment and his figure of Eleotris marmorata 
(1911: 730, fig. 1). In Eviota , however, the 
opisthotics are quite small (Fig. 5 a). In Kel- 
loggella and Kraemeria they appear to be al- 
together lacking, and in this agree with 
Mistichthys luzonensis (Te Winkel, 1935: 473). 
It seems certain that the opisthotics are of no 
value as a distinguishing character for the 
gobioid fishes. 
Pectoral Girdle 
The pectoral girdle shows various stages 
of degeneration among the fishes examined 
here. 
Regan (1911: 729) states that the post- 
temporal is forked in gobioid fishes. This is 
true for the various species investigated ex- 
cept Kelloggella and Kraemeria . In Kelloggella 
the lower prong of the fork is made up of a 
ligament at the end of which is a minute 
ossification (which may possibly represent the 
detached opisthotic). In Kraemeria the post- 
temporal is a simple strut. 
The pectoral radials are said by Regan 
(1911: 729) to be, "4, large, laminar, united 
to form a plate.” This is more or less true of 
all the species dealt with here except Krae- 
meria, which has only three actinosts (Fig. 6). 
It seems probable that the uppermost actinost 
is the missing one, as this one is reduced 
to a very weak strut in Kelloggella. 
