ACANTHOPTEliYGII. 137 



Ob. melanurus; spams melanurus, L.; Salv. 181. Silvery, 

 striped with blackish; a broad black spot each side of the tail. 



FAMILY V. 



MENIDES. 



The Menides differ from the preceding families in the ex- 

 treme extensibility and retractility of their upper jaw, which 

 is owing to the length of the intermaxillary pedicles which 

 withdraw between the orbits. Their body is scaly, as in 

 Sparus, in which genus they have hitherto been placed. 



MiENA, CuV. 



Distinguished from a true Sparus by having very short, small, and 

 crowded teeth, in a narrow and longitudinal band on the vomer. 

 Those also in the jaws are all extremely fine, forming a very narrow 

 band. The body is oblong, compressed, and somewhat similar to 

 that of a Herring; an elongated scale above each of the ventrals, and 

 another between them. Several species inhabit the Mediterranean. 

 M. vulgaris; Sparus maena, L. ; Bl. 270. Back, lead-colour; 



belly, silvery; a black spot on the flank opposite the last spine 



of the dorsal. 



M. jusculum, Cuv., only differs from the vulgaris in having a 



narrower body, a shorter muzzle and a higher dorsal. 



M. radiata; Sparus radiatus, Osbeck. ; Sp. tricuspidatifs, Spi- 



nola; Ann. Mus. X, pi. xviii. A deep steel-blue; oblique blue 



streaks on the cheek; blue spots on the ventrals; the dorsal still 



higher. 



Smaris, Cuv. 



The fishes of this genus only differ from the M3ena3 in the total de- 

 ficiency of teeth in the vomer; their body is generally somewhat less 

 elevated. Some of them are found in the Mediterranean. 



S. vulgaris; Sparus smaris, L.; Le Picarel conimtm; Laroche, 

 Ann. Mus. XIII, pi. xxv, f. 17. Lead-grey above; silvery be- 

 neath; a black spot on the flank. 



S*. alcedo, Riss., so called from the beautiful blue with which 

 its body is variegated. 



S. cagarella, Cuv. The body as high as that of the Maena vul- 

 garis, from which it only differs in having no palatine teeth. 

 Vol. II. S 



