THE MORPHOLOGY OF H-II GALAXIES

We present CCD images of a sample of 39 H II galaxies taken at the Dan ish 1.54-m telescope on La Silla, The images are used to analyse the m orphology of these emission-line dwarfs, and the structural properties of the knots of star formation and of the underlying galaxy, The size s of the starbursts are measured, We propose a morphological classific ation based on the presence or absence of signs of tails, extensions? or distorted outer isophotes, This criterion segregates the objects in to two broad morphological types with different physical properties, t he more disturbed and extended (type I)H Ir galaxies having larger lum inosities and velocity dispersions than the more compact and regular ( type II) objects, The relative position of H II galaxies and of a samp le of dwarf elliptical galaxies in the [R-sigma] diagram supports the hypothesis of a possible evolutionary link between the two types of ga laxy.