CENTRARCHUS IRIDEUS. 15 



GENUS CENTRAECHUS. — Cuv. et Val. 



Characters. Body broad, oval, greatly compressed; dorsal fin single, very 

 large, elevated, with no depression between its spinous and soft portions ; spinous 

 portion the larger ; anal large, extending between the ventrals, in form and size 

 like the dorsal; mouth small, inter-maxillary, inferior maxillary, vomer, palate, 

 pharyngeal bones, and tongue, with minute teeth. 



Remarks. This genus was established to include several Percidse, having cer- 

 tain forms in common ; as. Body oval, compressed ; dorsal fin single ; teeth on the 

 tongue, &c. ; but several of these fishes diifer from each other in so many respects 

 that it became necessary to refer them to other genera, and even to restrict the 

 genus itself. This has been done by Professor Agassiz with great clearness and 

 precision ; and furthermore he has distributed many of these fish among genera 

 long since established by Rafinesque. 



CENTRARCHUS IRIDEUS. — Laceptde. 



Plate III. Fig. 1. 



Specific Characters. Body sub-elliptical, dusky-green above, sides white, with 

 bluish-green spots ; dorsal fin with a dusky spot, bordered with orange near the 

 posterior extremity of its soft portion. P. 11. V. 1-5. D. 11-14. A. 8-15. 

 C. 17. 



Synonymes. Le Labre iris, Lacip., Hist. Nat. Poiss., torn. iv. p. 716, pi. 5, fig. 3. 



Centrarchus irideus, Cuv. et Vol., Hist. Nat. Poiss., torn. iii. p. 89 ; id. vii. 458. 

 Centrarchus irideus, DeKay, Zool. N. Y., part iii. p. 31. 

 Centrarchus irideus, Storer, Synops., p. 39. 



Description. The form of this fish is nearly elliptical, its dorsal and ventral 



