418 The Rev. R. T. Lowe on the Fishes of Madeira. 



too rare to have obtained any permanent and genuine appellation in 

 Madeira. 



Fam. Salmonid^. 



SCOPELUS MADERENSIS. 



A small dark mulberry-coloured fish, which might easily be taken 

 for the fry or young of Pomatomus telescopus, Risso. The dark vi- 

 nous-coloured ground is concealed by very large deciduous platina- 

 like scales. The only individual which has yet occurred was three 

 inches long. It approaches very near to Sc. Humboldti, Risso, Hist, 

 iii. 467. (supposed to be identical with Pennant's Argentine, Yar. 11. 

 94.), and has the row of longer silver dots, orpits, extending forwards 

 from the root of the caudal fin along the ventral line : but it disagrees 

 remarkably with the generic characters assigned to Scopelus by Cu- 

 vier, R. An. 2nd Ed. ii. 314, in having both the palatines and tongue 

 aculeate with teeth. 



The fin -formula in the Madeiran fish was 



1st, D. 3 -f 10; 2nd, D. 1 club- or feather- shaped ; 



A. 2-H 12; P. 13; V. 1 + 7;C. ^ + ^ + ^^ 



6 + I -I- Vlll 



Gen. Alysia. 

 Corpus subelongatum, compressum ; dorso postice ventreque spinoso- 



serratis. Rostrum brevissimum, ore rictuque magnis, hoc pone 



oculos diducto. Denies minuti, tenues ; in maxilla inferiore, Vo- 



mere, et Palatinis scobinati. Lingua postice lateribus subacu- 



leolata. 

 Squamcs magnse, baud deciduse, scabrse ; squamis lineae lateralis la- 



tissimis, maximis, scutellatis, s. per to tarn longitudinem loricato- 



imbricatis. 

 Pinnce ventrales sub apice pinnarum pectoralium sitae. Dorsales 



duse ; prima inter Ventrales et Analem posita ; 2^^^ ad finem 



analis, rudimentali. Pinna caudalis minima, furcata. 



Alysia loricata. 



The spinoso- serrate ventral and hinder part of the dorsal lines, 

 together with the peculiar scales of the lateral line, appear to forbid 

 the blending of this interesting little fish with the Cuvierian genus 

 Aulopus, as defined in the R. Anim., Ed. 2. ii. 315, though they have 

 many characters in common. The Maderan fish is no less rare than 

 elegant. It scarcely exceeds two inches in length. The back is a 

 deep blue ; the sides bright silvery or platina ; and a row of dead- 

 silver dots or pits extends along the ventral line, as in the Scopelus 

 above described. The fin-formula is 



