ACANTHOPTERYGII. ZENIDJE. 



TAB. V. 



LAMPRIS LAUTA, Nob. 



Peixe Cravo. 



Madeiran Opah. 



Char. Gen. 



Os subprotractilis, edentiilus. Corpus squamis membranaceis, deciduis, paiTis. Pinna dorsalis 

 analisque unica, continua ; dorsali antice alta, acuminata. Pinnae pectorales ventralesque elongatse, 

 basi horizontali ; ventralibus pluriradiatis. Pinna caudalis lunata vel furcata. Pinnarum omnium 

 radii cartOagineo-comei. 



Obs. — Pisces grandes, coloribus pulcherrime picti. Pinnarum radii flexiles ; nee spinosi, nee dis- 

 tinctius articulati. 



Char. Spec. 



L. lingua lasvi : membrana branchiostega sex-radiata : cauda ecarinata. 



6 + 1 -4- IX 

 D. 1 + 5-2 — 54; A. 1 + 39 — 41;R 1 + 23 — 25; V. 16 V. 17 ;C. 



6 + I + VIII 

 M. B. 6 ; Vertebra; 23 abd. + 22 caud. = 45. 



L- laida, Syn. Mad. Fish. in. Trans. Zool. See. p. 183. 



Longit. = 3 — 4 - pedalis = 2 X alt. 



Tempus, Vere. 



Locus, in mediis profundis : rarior. 



MM. CuviER and Valenciennes, in the tenth volume of their in- 

 valuable Histoire, justly remark, that it is singular so large and beautiful 

 a fish as Lampris guttatus Retz, the Opah, or King-fish of Pennant, 

 Yarrell, and others, should have escaped the observation of the older Na- 

 turalists. It seems still more extraordinary that, in these days of active 

 physical research, a second equally magnificent, and even more abundant 

 species locally, should have remained to be detected in Madeira. 



The affinity between the European and Madeiran fish assuredly is 

 very close. It is, however, a strong argument in favour of their specific 

 difference, independent of all others, that Lampris guttata* appears to be 

 properly a northern fish. It seems to be in the Mediterranean a mere 

 strawcrler : whilst facts are wantins: to enable us to trace it further south 

 in the Atlantic, than the Gulf of Gascony. The Madeiran fish, if not 



* To avoid confusion with the Entomological genus Lampyris, it seems inexpedient to restore the 

 orthography of the generic name, derived from Xa/^Tru^U a glovv-wonn or fire-fly : but it should as- 

 suredly retain its proper gender. 

 VOL. I. 



