AbstractThe different kinds of scales characteristic of the adult sturgeon are described and the facts of ontogenesis which throw light on the history of these structures are presented.The scales of Acipenser are exclusively mesenchymatous and therefore are not morphologically comparable with the placoid scales of elasmobranchs. Salensky ('80) drew erroneous conclusions as a result of failure to study the earlier stages of ontogenesis. Goodrich ('03) has correctly described the ontogenesis of the lepidotrichia.The original form of ganoid scale was that of an elongated rhomb with a longitudinal crest on its external surface. The various forms of scales of the adult sturgeon have been produced by the differentiation of such a scale by change in size, shape, and the fusion of the different elements.The conclusions are extended to the entire family of Acipenseridae.