ACANTHOPTERYGII. 317 



minated by a flat and obtuse point, and by a festoon, which 

 in the fresh state disappear within the membrane, but which 

 are seen a little in the dried individuals, there are some of 

 them which certain naturalists have referred to the genus 

 hodianus, such as it was established by Bloch, a genus which 

 M. Cuvier has united to serranus. But the dentex differ 

 from these bodiani, that is, from the serrani with preoperculum 

 without any sensible denticulation, by the absence of all kinds 

 of teeth in the vomeriari and palatine regions, and because 

 they have but six rays to the membrane of the gills. 



There are two species in the Mediterranean, which form 

 the types of two small tribes. One named dente in Provence, 

 and dentale in Italy, is the spams dentex of Linnaeus ; the 

 other less extended or less observed, is called bouco-rougo, at 

 Nice, and is the spams macrophthalmus of Bloch. The first 

 has the eye smaller, and the suborbital broader, which gives 

 an elongation to the muzzle : the second has the suborbital 

 more narrow, and the eye of a remarkable size ; all the body 

 is red, with gilt lines on the sides. 



Both these species appear to have been known to the 

 ancients, and there is reason to believe that the first is the 

 dentex of the Romans. 



The dentex vulgaris, according to Risso, attains three feet 

 in length, but this is doubted by others, who describe them 

 as much less. Paulus Jovius, and others, speak highly of 

 those of Dalmatia, and state that the inhabitants of this coast 

 cut them in pieces, and pack them in barrels with saffron. 



The Mediterranean contains a second dentex, easily to 

 be recognized by the largeness of its eyes {D. macrophthal- 

 mus), which is also red. It is much less extended than the 

 common species in the western part of that sea. Belon 

 mentions it as scarcely known there (nostro littori admodum 

 rants aut eo nomine ignotus). Risso has observed and 

 described it sufficiently ; but Belon, though partially ac- 



