ACANTHOPTERYGII. SERRANIDM. 



(PERCIDM, Cuv.) 



TAB. XXVI. 



POLYPRION CERNIER.* 



Cherne, ou Chernotta. 



The Shernv, Shern, or Wreck-fish.+ 



Char. Gen. 



Corpus oblongum abbreviatum, incrassatiim ; capite rictuque amplo ; dentibus scobinatis. Oper- 

 culum superne carina longitudinali echinato-serrata, in spinam excurrente : praeoperculo capitisque 

 humerique cristis ossibusve prominentibus echinato-serratis. 



Pinnae dorsalis (unicae), analis, ventralisque spinis striatis ; plus minus ecliinato-serratis. Pinna 

 caudalis simplex, tnincata. Squamae asperse, parvae. Membrana branchiostega septem-radiata. 



Obs. — Pisces ingentes, alticolae : juniores vagabundi, ipiXoo-xmi, navium fractarura materi;eque 

 fluitantis sequaces ; edules, moesticolores. Species adhuc unica, fere cosmopolita. 



Polyprion cernium, (Val.) Cuv. R. An.,ii. 145. — Zool. Journ. ii. 120. — Cuv. et Val. iii. 21. 



t. 42.— Yarr. Suppl. 1.— Syn. Mad. Fish. 174. 

 Serranus Cotichu, Yarr. Brit. Fish. 1.12. 

 Holocentrus Gvlo, Risso, Hist. iii. 367. 

 Scorpcma Mussiliensis, Risso, Ichth. p. 1 84. 

 " AmpMprion Amcricanus et Australis, Schn." Cuv. 

 CluBtodon Leackii, Bowd. Exc. in Mad. p. 124, partim. 



6 + Vllf- 

 5 + VII. 



D. II + II V. 12 ; A. 3 + 8 V. 9 ; P. 17 v. 18 ; V. 1 + 5 ; C. 



M. B. 7 ; Sq. lin. lat. indefinitae ; Vertae. 13 abd. + 14 caud. = 27. 

 a. si/nus ; rostro brevi lato obtuso, ore largo. 



" Cherne de boca redonda." 

 /3. rostratus ; rostro producto acuto. 

 " Cherne Bicuda." 



Longit. =2 — 4 ped. = 3 X longit. capitis = 3 X alt. fere. 

 Tempus, per totmu fere annum, sed hieme praesertim. 

 Locus, in profundis, sive in alto. 



A FISH, remarkable both for its size and rarity, had been for some 

 years known imperfectly to English naturalists ; having been occasionally 



* The usual name " Cemium'" is erroneous in its termination, whether taken classically or 

 vernacularly. One of the common names is therefore here adopted in its simple fomi : having the 

 further recommendation of agreeing in its termination with the masculine of a common class of 

 Latin adjectives. 



f It is often called Jew-fish by the English in Madeira, under the notion that it is the West 

 Indian fish so called, which is, however, of the " Pargo " tribe. 



VOL. I. 



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