NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 117 



Dactylosparus Gill. 



Synonymy. 

 Sparus sp. Parkinson. 



Cheilodactylus sp. Cuv. et Vol., Richardson. 

 Chilodactylus sp. Giinther. 



Body highest and arched above the ventral fins, convex behind, and with 

 the caudal peduncle very slender. Scales of moderate size. Head moderate, 

 with the crown arched and the profile much decurved. Eyes elevated above 

 the rostro-opercular line and nearer the nape than the snout ; preorbital bones 

 very high ; cheeks scaly. Preoperculum vertical behind, and with its angle 

 broadly rounded. Mouth moderate. Teeth villiform on each jaw, preceded 

 by a row of larger conical ones. Branch iostegal rays 6, 6. Dorsal fin with 

 its spinous and soft portions nearly equally long and high ; the former is con- 

 vex near the middle, and scarcely lower than the soft part behind, with seven- 

 teen spines. Anal fin oblong, with its three spines moderate, and its soft 

 rays subequal. Pectoral fins with one of its simply articulated rays much 

 produced. 



Type. Dactylosparus carponemus Gill. 



Syn. Cheilodactylus carponemus Cuv. et Val. 



Dactylosparus has quite a different aspect from most of the Latridinse, and, 

 as the new name indicates, has a considerable analogical resemblance to a 

 Sparoid, the head being high and much decurved from the nape. The anal 

 fin of the typical species at least has considerably more numerous rays than 

 that of most of the allied genera, and the dorsal is nearly entire. Perhaps 

 the type may be the only known species. 



Dactylosparus carpokemds Gill. 



Sparus carponemus Parkinson MSS. 



Cheilodactylus carponemus Cuv. et Val., Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tome v. 

 p. 362, pi. 128. 

 D. XVII. 31. A. III. 19. P. 17. 

 Habitat. Coasts of Australia and New Zealand. 



A fish found at Van Diemen's Land was at first referred to the Cheilodac- 

 tylus carponemus of Cuv. and Val. as a variety by Sir John Richardson, but 

 was afterwards distinguished as a peculiar species, under the name of C. as- 

 persus. It is certainly very distinct, and indeed scarcely appears to be con- 

 generic with the C. carponemus, differing from it in the short anal, the much 

 stronger spines and the decided notch between the spinous and soft portions 

 of the dorsal fin as well as by the elevated preorbital bones. The Cheilodac- 

 tylus macropterus of Richardson appears to be most nearly related to his C. 

 aspersus. In the present condition of our knowledge we will not venture to 

 propose a distinct genus, but simply enumerate them in an appendix to Dacty- 

 losparus, under the names bestowed on them by Richardson. 



Chilodactylus aspersus Richardson. 



Cheilodactylus carponemus Richardson, Transactions of the Zoological 



Society of London, vol. iii. p. 99. 

 Not Cheilodactylus carponemus Cuv. et Val., from whom, however, the 



radial formula is copied. 

 Cheilodactylus aspersus Richardson, Proc. Zoological Society, 1850, p. 64. 



D. XVIII. 27. A. III. 11. P. 8 | 7. Scales 5557 . (B. 6.) 

 Habitat. Van Diemen's Land. 



Chilodactylus macropterus Richardson. 



Scisena macroptera Forster. 



Cichla macroptera Bloch, Systema Ichthyologise, Schneid. ed., p. 342. 



Cheilodactylus macropterus Richardson, Proc. Zoological Society, 1850, 

 p. 62. 

 1862.] 



