432 ORDER MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. 



Scopelus l , Cuv. S'erpes of Risso., 



Have the mouth and gills extremely cleft ; the two 

 jaws furnished with very small teeth ; the edge of the 

 upper entirely formed by the intermaxillaries ; the 

 tongue and palate smooth. Their muzzle is very 

 short and obtuse ; there are nine or ten rays to the 

 gills ; and, besides the usual dorsal, which corres- 

 ponds to the interval of the ventrals and the anal, 

 there is another very small one behind, in which the 

 vestiges of rays are perceptible. 



These fishes are caught in the Mediterranean, in- 

 termingled with the anchovies, and they are there 

 named melettes, as are other small fishes. One of 

 them, the Serpe Humboldt, Risso, pi. x. f. 38, is re- 

 markable for the brilliancy of the silvery points which 

 are distributed along the body and tail 2 . 



Aulopus 3 , Cuv., 



Unite the characters of Gadus to those of the Sal- 

 mones, their mouth is deeply cleft ; their intermaxil- 



1 2k6tte\oq is the Greek name of an unknown fish. 



2 I helieve this fish to be the same as the pretended Argentina 

 spkyrcena, of Pennant, Brit. Zool. No. 156, therefore it should also 

 be found in our part of the Atlantic. Add the Serpe crocodile, Risso, 

 p. 357. The Serpe balbo, Id. Ac. des Sc. de Turin, tome xxv. 

 pi. x. f. 3. But the Serpe microstome, p. 356, is certainly of another 

 genus, and of the family of the pikes. 



3 Av\u)tt6c, the Greek name of an unknown fish. 



