The Gerera of Batfishes (Family Ogcocephalidae)
Bradbury MG. 1967. The Gerera of Batfishes (Family Ogcocephalidae). Copeia. 1967(2):399-422
The illicial skeleton in the Ogcocephalidae is composed of only two elements, a proximal element, the pterygiophore, and a distal element, the illicial bone. The illicial bone is very short and completely buried in the tissue of the esca. The morphology of the illicial skeleton is regarded as delineating the genera of the family and coincides with the esca in showing generic limits. To a lesser degree, the variation in dentition, gill rakers, frontal bones of the skull, squamation, lateral-line pattern, body shape, and pupillary operculum aid in segregating species into genera. Of the 12 nominal genera, 9 are considered valid: Coelophrys (4 species); Halieutopsis (7 species); Dibranchus (13 species); Halieutaea (8 species); Halieutichthys (2 species); Halicmetus (2 species); Malthopsis (7 species); Ogcocephalus (12 species); and Zalieutes (2 species).
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bradbury, M
- Units
- GUIS
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, batfish (Ogcocephalidae), cartilaginous fish, Gulf Coast (GUIS), Gulf Islands National Seashore FL - MS