NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. Ill 



jaw, preceded in the upper by three rows of tricuspidate teeth, and in the lower 

 by two rows. The tricuspidate teeth have the cusps rounded, and the median 

 longest. Front of vomer with villif'orm teeth. Anterior dorsal tin convex, de- 

 clining in a straight line behind and with fifteen or sixteen spines, the last of 

 which are very short. Anal fin with three spines, the first two of which are 

 very short, and with seven or eight branched rays, which very rapidly diminish 

 in size. 



Type. Haplodactylus punctatns Cuv. et Val. 



The genus Haplodactylus, as here defined, has the same limits given to it by 

 Cuvier and Valenciennes and by Guichenot. Two species that have since been 

 referred to it by Sir John Richardson and Dr. Gunther, have been abstracted 

 from it, and are considered to be the types of as many distinct genera. The 

 diagnosis given by Dr. Gunther to Haplodactylus is indeed equivalent to ours, 

 but his Haplodactylus arctidens and H. lophodon do not correspond to his defi- 

 nition. The correctness of the elimination of these two species is confirmed 

 by their geographical distribution. The typical Haplodactyli are, as far as 

 known, peculiar to the temperate salt waters of western South America. 

 The other two species are inhabitants of the Australian seas. 



Four forms have been described as distinct, but the specific differences of all 

 of them have not yet been fully demonstrated. Dr. Gunther has united the 

 Haplodactylus punctatus and H. reginae, but, if the figure of the latter is correct, 

 it is apparently a very good species. The species appear to be distinguished 

 by the following characters ; but it will be necessary to confirm them, and they 

 must be accepted with reserve : 



Secondary color or markings dark. 



1. Body brownish gray, covered with irregular, brown 



vermiculated markings; fins thickly spotted. A. III. 8. H. vermiculatus. 



2. Body brownish red above, irregularly dotted with black. 



A. III. 8; first three dorsal spines short and gradu- 

 ated, much shorter than the fourth? H. reginae. 



3. Body brownish above, dotted all over with blackish. A. 



III. 7 ; first four dorsal spines regularly graduated to 



the fifth H. punctatus. 



Spots or dots whitish, on a yellowish ground. A. III. 7 H. guttatus. 



1. Haplodactylus punctatus Cuv. et Val., Gunther. 



Aplodactylus punctatus Cuv. et Val., Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tome viii p 

 477, pi. 242. 

 Habitat. Chili. 



2. Haplodactylus regin;e Val. 



Aplodactylus reginae (Vol..) Gray, Historia Fisica y politicade Chile. Zoo- 



logia, tomo ii., p. 158, lam. 1, fig. 2. 

 Haplodactylus punctatus p*.. Gunther, Catalogue of the Acanthopterygiau 

 Fisbes, vol. ii., p. 434. 

 Habitat. Chili. 



3. Haplodactylus vermiculatus Gay, Gunther. 



Aplodactylus vermiculatus Gay, Op. cit. tomo ii., p. 159, lam. 1, fig. I. 

 Habitat. Chili (Valparaiso.) 



4. Haplodactylus guttatus Gay, Glinther. 



Aplodactylus guttatus Gay, Op. cit., tomo ii., p, 160. 

 Habitat. Chili. 



DACTYLOSARGUS Gill. 



Synonymy. 

 Aplodactylus sp. Richardson. 

 HaplodactyluB sp. Giinther. 



1862.] 



