ABSTRACT
The living lampreys and hagfishes show certain resemblances to some of the ostracoderms, but there is no firm evidence regarding their relationships. The higher bony fishes, or osteichthyans, are usually divided into two groups the actinopterygians, or ray-finned fishes, and the sarcopterygians, or lobe-finned fishes. Hagfishes are cold-water marine animals and they are usually trapped offshore. They are available along the Pacific coast of North America and on the Atlantic south of the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Lampreys occur in cold, fresh water. State or university biological surveys should be consulted in regard to obtaining specimens. The large group of fishes generally called the Chondrichthyes includes the elasmobranchs and the holocephalans. The holocephalans are represented by a few rather rare genera of chimaeroids. The chimaeras are more delicate than the sharks.
