BEARDED OPHIDIUM. 



1. 1 



APODAL 



MALACOPTERYGIL MURJENID&. 



THE BEARDED OPHIDIUM. 



Ophidium barbatum, LINN. BLOCH, Ichth. pi. 159, fig. 1. 



,, ,, Bearded Ophidium, BEHKEN. Syn. vol. i. p. 66. 



,, ,, ,, ,, TURTON, Brit. Faun. p. 88. 



,, ,, ,, JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 481. 



,, ,, Donzelle commune, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 359. 



THE BEARDED OPHIDIUM, a well known Mediterranean 

 species, has also been included by Berkenhout in his Cata- 

 logue of British Fishes ; but whether on the personal autho- 

 rity of that author, or on what part of the British coast it was 

 observed, or taken, no mention is made. 



This fish was the subject of a paper by Dr. Broussonet, 

 communicated by Sir Joseph Banks, read at the Royal 

 Society, July 5th, 1781, and printed in the Transactions. 

 The author traces this species from Pliny to Bel on, Ronde- 

 let, Willughby, Artedi, Klein, Linnseus, Gouan, and Brun- 

 nich. 



The form of the body is seen by the figure. The direction 

 of the mouth is ascending; both maxillary bones are furnished 

 with teeth ; the barbule on the chin is single at its origin, is 

 soon divided once, forming two, each of these are afterwards 



