120 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



Type. Chirodactylus Antonii Gdl. 



This genus differs chiefly from Chilodactylus by the form of the head and 

 the presence of six branchiostegal rays. 



Chirodactylus is distinguished by the conical head, the convex outline of the 

 spinous portion of the dorsal fin and the form of the anal. Two species are 

 known of the genus ; a third, described by Dr. Giinther, is provisionally re- 

 ferred to it, which differs from the first two by the depth of the preorbital 

 bones and the consequent position of the eyes and the brevity of the third 

 anal spine. It appears to have the form of the anal characteristic of the 

 genus, the length of the second soft anal ray equalling three inches three 

 lines in a fish twenty seven inches long. The species may be thus distin- 

 guished. 



Synopsis. 

 Eye nearer the snout than the end of the operculum. 



Anal fin III. 7 C. antonii. 



Anal fin III. 10 C. variegatus. 



Eye rather nearer the end of operculum than to the snout. 



Anal fin III. 9 C. grandis. 



The typical species of the genus are inhabitants of the Chilian seas, while 

 the C. grandis is a native of the Southern African seas. 



Chirodactylus antonii Gill. 



Cheilodactylus antonii Cuv, et VaL, Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tome ix. p. 494. 

 Bab. Chili. 



Chirodactylus variegatus Gill. 



Cheilodactylus variegatus Cuv. et VaL, Hist. Nat. des Poissons, tome ix. 



p. 494. 

 Cheilodactylus tschudii Miill. et Troschel, Horse Ichthyologicse vol. iii. p. 25. 

 Cheilodactylus cinctus Tschudii, Fauna Peruviana. Ichthyologia, p. 15, taf. 2. 



Hub. Chili and Peru. 



f 



Chilodactylus grandis Giinther. 

 Cheilodactylus grandis Giinther, Catalogue of the Acanthopterygian Fishes, 

 &c, vol. ii. p. 79. 



GONIISTIUS Gill. 



Synonymy. 

 Chilodactylus sp. auct. 

 Pteronemns sp. Van Der Hoeven. 



Pinna dorsalis spinis priinis tribus parvis, quarto elongata; postice incurvata. 



Body highest before the ventral fins, declining rapidly under the second 

 dorsal to the slender caudal peduncle ; ante dorsal region obliquely convex 

 and carinated. Scales of moderate size. Head rather small, much compressed, 

 with the profile oblique and nearly straight or slightly incurved. Old indi- 

 viduals have a pair of tubercles on the forehead and another on the snout. 

 Eyes below, nearly on a line with the posterior termination of the operculum 

 or suboperculum. Cheeks and crown scaly. Preoperculum posteriorly ver- 

 tical and entire. Operculum spiniform behind and deeply emarginated above. 

 Mouth small. Lower jaw shorter and received within the upper. Lips well 

 developed and free. Teeth on each of the jaws, pluriserial in front, uniserial 

 on the sides. Branchiostegal rays six on each side. Dorsal fin with its 

 spinous and soft portions nearly equally long ; the former has about seventeen 

 spines, the first three of which are very small and graduated ; the fourth is 

 longest, and the outline behind is slightly incurved towards the soft part ; the 

 latter is of a nearly uniform bight, exceeding the last spinous rays. Anal fin 

 short, nearly under the middle of the soft portion of the dorsal, provided with 

 three small spines produced at its anterior angle, and with about eight or nine 



[March, 



