The group Xenopterygii, without spinous dorsal and with a large sucking disc between the ventral fins, contains the Gobiesocidce or cling-fishes.
The super-family Blennioidea contains the blennies and their relatives, with the ventrals jugular and always few-rayed. Here belong the Blennadce, Pholididee, Stichceidce, Xiphasi Cryptacanthodicke or wry-mouths, Anar rinchadace or wolf-fishes, Ptilichthyidce, Cer dalidee, Patcecida., Gnathanacanthidce and the extinct family of Blochadce.
Very closely allied to the blenn6id series, and also belonging to the Jugulares, is the super family Ophidioidea, differing in the absence of fin-spines.. Here belong the Zoarcidce or eel pouts, the Ammodytidee or sand-launces, the the Brotulidce, the the Ophidadee or cusks, the Fierasferidce or pearl-fishes, the Xenocephalidee, Scytalinake, Congrogaelider and Bregmacerotidce.
A sub-order of uncertain relations, charac terized by the absence of foramen in the hyper coracoid, by the peculiar form of the tail, by the jugular insertion of the ventrals and the absence of spines, is the Anacanthini. Here belong the Calder or codfishes, the Merluccialce or hakes, the Macruridee or grenadiers, the Ateleopodidce and Bathyonidce.
Still more uncertain are the relationships of ological philosophy; (3) Genera of fishes, in volving a complete classification of the forms he knew, his genera corresponding to the groups now called families; (4) Synonymy of all species recorded by authors, and (5) De scription of all the species actually examined by Artedi. Of true fishes (exclusive of whales) 228 species are recorded by Artedi —a small portion of the 12,000 species now actually known (1903).
But the work of Artedi is masterly in its method and shows a stronger touch than that of any of his successors in ichthyology until the time of Cuvier. In the (Systema Natures' Linnaeus did little more for fishes than to sub stitute binomial names for the descriptive phrases of Artedi.
After Artedi, and independently, the group of fishes was arranged in genera by Klein and by Gronow, both writers of ability, but neither with the genus for taxonomy shown by Artedi.
With the Animal' (1817-28) of Cuvier, a new era in zoology began. In this epoch-making work the kingdom,,' as the sub-order Terniosomi, ribbon-shaped fishes of the deep sea, soft in body and often reach ing an immense size. The families are Trachypteridce or deal-fishes, Regalecide or oar-fishes. The Lophotidce or crest-fishes show some resemblances to these.
Finally we may close the long series with the order of Pediculati. These are jugular fishes, degenerate in structure, the small gill opening behind the pectoral fins. The families are Lophadw, the anglers, Antennaradcr or walking-fishes, Ceratadce or sea-devils, and Ogcocephalidce or sea-bats.
History of Systematic Ichthyology.-- The title of of Ichthyology" is justly given to Petrus Artedi, a Swede, associate and inti mate friend of Linnaeus. Artedi was the first to recognize the meaning of genus and species in ichthyology, and to supply the outlines of a rational classification. After Artedi's un timely death (by drowning in a canal in Hol land), Linnaeus edited his manuscripts, pub lishing them in 1738, in five parts, as follows: (1) Ichthyological biography; (2) Ichthy the title indicates, was °arranged according to its organization?' Comparative structure found its reflection in the schemes of classification. The application of the principles of morphology was carried out in detail with the fishes in the great (Histoire Naturelle des Poissons) .0828 49) of Georges Dagobert Cuvier and Achille Valenciennes, long the most valuable general work on fishes. The only general work on fishes since Cuvier and Valenciennes is the monumental 'Catalogue of the Fishes of the British Museum' (1859-70) by Dr. Albert Gunther. In this work 6,843 species are de scribed and 1,682 doubtful species are men tioned in foot-notes, the number of species known in 1870 being estimated at 9,000. Since that date about 3,000 have been described, the number of living species at present, according to an enumeration made by Dr. Boulenger, be ing about 12,000. The number of fossil species known may be estimated at 3,000 to 4,000.