PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 263 



statement of a qiiadraugular character for Tctrosomus it would appear 

 certain that the three following divisions were intended as suhgenera, 

 subordinated to Tetrosomus. As it is, it seems to he more than probable 

 that an omission was made by the author, and that the diagnosis should 

 read " triangular or quadrangular," for the species chosen as type of 

 TctroHomus is in fact pentagonal. This, however, would throw out 

 RJdnesomus and certain species in Lactopltnjs. Be this as it may, we 

 have no right to guess at the real meaning of the author ; these divis- 

 ions are treated as genera in every particular except that their names 

 are in italics instead of capitals, and as genera they must be quoted, 

 charging discrepancies to the account of carelessness and bad workman- 

 ship. 



In 1855 the group underwent another revision at the hands of Dr. 

 Kaup.* Besides forming several new subgenera for the Ac«rrt><a-like 

 forms he made a complete redistribution of the species among the 

 genera. Reg'arding the triangular species as types of the genus Ostra- 

 cion of Linniiius he proposed a new generic name, Cibotion, for Ostracion 

 as limited by Swainson, and in this groujj placed 0. tuherculatus, 0. cu- 

 Meus, 0. punctatus, 0. argus, 0. cyanurus, and 0. Sebae. In '■'■ Lwto- 

 X)hryfij Swains, (part)," he placed O.comutm, O.fornasini, and 0. diaplia- • 

 nus, all species with si)inous,lbur-ridged carapaces, while in " Ostracion^ 

 Linn, (part), Kaup," which he regarded as equivalent to lihinosomus and 

 TctraNoinus, Swauis., he placed all the triangular species, wiiich he di- 

 vided into live sections: "a. Without long spines over the eyes and on 

 the edges of the body" — 0. triqueter. "b. With spines near the anal- 

 fin" — 0. hicaudaUs, 0. trigonus, and 0. oviceps (= 0. trigomis). "c. 

 With spines over the eyes and on the edge of the carapace" — 0. quadri- 

 cornis. "d. With li-3 short spines on the elevated dorsal ridge, short 

 spines over the eye and upon the edges of the very broad carapace, 

 diminishing with age to weak points" — 0. coneatenatus. "e. With 

 strongly (juadrangular body and much elevated back, provided with a 

 strong spine; spines over the eyes and on the lower edges of the cara- 

 pace." — 0. gihhosus. 



In the following year a fresh revision was undertaken by Prof. H. 

 Hollard, of the Faculty of Sciences at Poitiers,t who reassembled in 

 the one genus, Ostracion^ all the species with a post- abdominal bridge to 

 the carapace, retaining for the others the name Aracana, Gray. In this 

 usage he is followed by Dr. Bleeker in his later publication, though he 

 freely admits that earlier in his career as an ichthyologist, impressed 

 like his predecessors by the diversified forms of the known species of 

 Ostraeionts, he was inclined to believe that many genera could be dis- 

 tinguished among them. "But," he continues, "in searching for char- 

 acters which should define them satisfactorily, I discovered that I could 



*0i). cit., pp. 214-221. 



tlSoG. IIOLLARD, H. Monograpliie do la Famille des Ostraciouides. <Aiiuales 

 des Sciences Naturelles, 4'^ ser. Zool. vii, 1857, jip. 121-170. 



