ELOPS SAURUS. 179 



FAMILY ELOPID^.— Valenciennes. 



Characters. A sub-lingual bone, as in Amia, placed between the branches of 

 the inferior maxillary ; branchial rays very numerous ; inter-maxillaries small ; 

 superior maxillaries long and free ; minute teeth on the inter-maxillary, maxillary, 

 palate, pterygoid, vomer, sphenoid, hyoid, and pharyngeal bones ; ccecal appenda- 

 ges numerous ; air-bladder large, and communicating with the stomach. This 

 family was established by Valenciennes, and embraces at this time but two genera, 

 Elops and Megalops. 



GENUS ELOPS. — Linnceus. 



Characters. Head covered with a thick skin, without scales ; a double 

 nictitating membrane descending over the cheeks; body elongated, sub-round; 

 dorsal fin nearly in the middle, -with its last ray prolonged ; dorsal and anal fins 

 covered with scales at their base ; caudal deeply forked, and with a large scale or 

 spine both above and below its root ; branchial rays thirty. 



ELOPS SAURUS. — Linnceus. 



Plate XXn. Fig. 2. 



Specific Characters. Body elongated, sub-cylmdrical, compressed towards 

 the tail, palest blue above, silvery at the sides and belly; head pale greenish 

 above, white at the sides, with a roseate tint ; upper jaw longer than the lower; 

 caudal widely forked, with a large scale or spine above and below its root. D. 24 

 P. 18. V. 15. A. 17. C. 28. 



