Abstract
The genera Eulophias and Zoarchias are enigmatic members of the suborder Zoarcoidei. Although the anatomy of many species of Zoarcoidei has been described in previous studies, two genera, Eulophias and Zoarchias, have never been described or only poorly described. In this article, osteological descriptions of these two genera are presented in detail for the first time. The genera belong to the suborder Zoarcoidei and are more closely related to the Stichaeidae than the Zoarcidae, as indicated by three characters: anterior part of the dorsal fin with spines, first anal fin ray spinous, and branchiostegal membranes free from the isthmus. Furthermore, the two genera differ from the other members of the Stichaeidae in two characters: second anal fin pterygiophore not supporting anal fin ray and dorsal and anal fin soft rays unbranched in Eulophias and seven branchiostegal rays and two epurals in Zoarchias, respectively. The osteology-based results partially support those of a previous molecular analysis, but further systematic studies of Zoarcoidei, including Stichaeidae and Zoarcidae, are required.
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