FISHES-BLENNIDAE-ANARRIIICHTHYS FELIS. 
125 
ANARRHICHTHYS FELIS, G- r d . 
Plate XXYa, Figs. 1—3. 
Spec. Char. —Profile of head uniformly convex; eye large and circular. Mouth deeply cleft; posterior extremity of 
maxillar bone extending to a vertical line drawruacross the posterior rim of llie orbit. Origin of the dorsal fin situated ante¬ 
riorly to the base of the pectorals. Caudal fin lanceolated. Head and body mottled with light ashy grey and dark olive green, 
disposed in irregular circles, lines, and blotches, which extend also to the dorsal fin. 
Syn. —Anarrhichas felis, Gud. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Piiilad. VII, 1854, 150. 
Anarrhichthys ocellatus, Ayres, in Proc. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sc. I, 1855, 31. 
The Smithsonian Institution lias received three specimens of this species from Dr. W. 0. 
Ayres, of California, the largest of which, being figured, measures over twenty-two inches in 
total length. The head is compressed like the body and proportionally well developed, forming 
about the twelfth of the entire length. Its upper surface is regularly convex from occiput to 
extremity of snout. The mouth is deeply cleft; its gape being slightly oblique upwards, and 
the lower jaw somewhat projecting beyond the upper. The posterior extremity of the maxillar 
hone is even with a vertical line drawn across the posterior rim of the orbit. The lips are loose, 
flabby, and conspicuous, whilst the nostrils are quite small and placed nearer the eye than 
the extremity of the snout. The teeth are very strong, the number of canine varying according 
to the individuals ; they occupy the extremity of both jaws, generally five or six upon each, 
disposed upon one row, and occasionally two or more in each jaw also inwardly of the former. 
The palatine teeth are much smaller than the vomerine ones. The eye is large, subcircular, 
approximating the upper surface of the head ; their diameter is contained five times in the 
length of the side of the head. A rather wide isthmus is interposed between the gill apertures 
under the throat; the brancliiostegal rays, seven on either side, are slender and imbedded in a 
thick brancliiostegal membrane. 
The body is taenioid, compressed, deepest upon the throacic region, hence diminishing gradu¬ 
ally backwards until it terminates into a point at the extremity of the tail. 
The dorsal fin originates anteriorly to the base of the pectorals ; it increases gradually in 
height to about the fourth of its length, hence diminishing posteriorly to the base of the caudal. 
The anal assumes the same form as the dorsal, though much less deep than the latter is high. 
The pectorals are well developed, elongated, rounded, and slightly scalloped upon their 
margin. 
The rays of the dorsal fin are slender and flexible undivided spines ; those of the anal and 
caudal are articulated and dichotomised. The interradial membrane is quite thick, rendering 
difficult the counting of the rays without dissection. 
The scales are exceedingly small, imbedded in the skin, not imbricated and much less numer¬ 
ous anteriorly than posteriorly. They are sub-circular with wide radiating grooves all around, 
cutting up the concentric striae. 
The ground color is light ashy grey, upon which irregular ocellae and blotches of dark olive 
green are disposed. The ocellae are surrounded by a lighter filet, giving a quite handsome 
appearance to this fish. These ocellae and blotches cover the head, body, and dorsal fin, the 
upper margin of which is light olive. A narrow band of the same may be observed posteriorly 
along the base of the dorsal fin and middle region of the caudal. The anal is uniform dark 
brown or black with a whitish border like the dorsal. Its margin is slightly scalloped. In 
