Cavallas and Pampanos 291 



we must place the family with Pempheris, near the scombroid 



fishes. 



Luvaridae. Another singular family is the group of Louvars, 

 Luvaridcs. Luvaris imperialis. The single known species is a large, 

 plump, voracious fish, with the dorsal and anal rays all un- 

 branched, and the scales scurf-life over the smooth skin. It is 

 frequently taken in the Mediterranean, and was found on the 

 island of Santa Catalina, California, by Mr. C. F. Holden. 



The Square-tails: Tetragonuridae. The Tetragonurida are long- 

 bodied fishes of a plump or almost squarish form, covered 

 with hard, firm, very adherent scales. Tetragonurus cuvieri, the 

 single species, called square-tail, or escolar de natura, is a 

 curious fish, looking as if whittled out of wood, covered with 

 a compact armor of bony scales, and swimming very slowly in 

 deep water. It is known from the open Atlantic and Medi- 

 terranean and has been once taken at Wood's Hole in Massa- 

 chusetts. According to Mr. C. T. Regan the relations of this 

 eccentric fish are with the Stromateidce and Bramidce, the skele- 

 ton being essentially that of Stromateus, and Boulenger places 

 both Tetragonurus and Stromateus among the Percesoces. 



The Crested Band-fishes: Lophotidae. The family of Lopho- 

 tidoz consists of a few species of deep-sea fishes, band-shaped, 

 naked, with the dorsal of flexible spines beginning as a high 

 crest on the elevated occiput. The first spine is very strong. 

 The ventrals are thoracic with the normal number, I, 5, of fin- 

 rays. Lophotes cepedianus, the crested bandfish, is occasionally 

 taken in the Mediterranean in rather deep water. Lophotes 

 capellei is rarely taken in the deep waters of Japan. 



It is thought that the Lophotida may be related to the 

 ribbon-fishes, Taniosomi, but on the whole they seem nearer 

 to the highly modified Scombroidei, the Pteraclidcs for 

 example. 



In a natural arrangement, we should turn from the Brami- 

 d<e to the Antigoniidce and the liar chides, then passing over 

 the series which leads through Ch&todontidce and Teuthidoz 

 to the Plectognaths. It is, however, necessary to include here, 

 alongside the mackerels, though not closely related to them, the 

 parallel series of perch-like fishes, which at the end become 

 also hopelessly entangled, through aberrant forms, with other 



