214 ORDER ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Platypterus, Kuhl. and Van Hasselt. 



The broad and separated ventrals of acallionymus; 

 a short depressed head ; the mouth small, and bran- 

 chiss open ; scales broad ; the two dorsals short and 

 separated \ 



It is with some hesitation that I close this family 

 with a genus which will one day probably form the 

 type of a separate family ; I mean the 



Chirus, ' Stell. La br ax, Pall. 



Fishes with a tolerably long body, furnished with 

 ciliated scales ; a small unarmed head ; slightly cleft 

 mouth, provided with small, unequal, conical teeth ; 

 the spines of whose dorsal are almost always very 

 delicate, the fin itself extending the whole length of 

 the back. Their distinguishing character consists in 

 several series of pores, similar to the lateral line, or, as 

 it were, in several lateral lines. There are no cceca 

 to the intestines ; they frequently have an appendage 

 to the eye-brow, as is the case with certain blennies ; 

 but their ventrals consist of five soft rays, as usual. 

 The species known are from the sea of Kamtschatka 2 . 



1 form a thirteenth family, that of the 



- Phttyptera. melanocephala, K. and V. H. PL trigonocephala, 

 Id. two fishes from India, to be described in our Ichthyology. 



2 Labrax lagocephalus ; L. decagr animus ; L. super ciliosus ; L. 

 monopterygius ; L. octogrammus ; L. hexagrammus; all described and 

 figured by Pallas, Mem. Acad. Petersb. Vol. xi. 1810. 



