69 33Ô 



■• 274 [8]. Kner (28 b, p. 257 [26]) declares that the dorsal spines in Aiilosloma (chinense) 

 are not true spines, without, however, demonstrating^ why: "Sie tragen ebenso wenig die 

 Merkmale eines Stachels an sich, wie jene der Xotacanlhinen, von denen später die Rede 

 sein wird '. Die Strahlen der übrigen Flossen sind gegliedert und am Ende so breit und com- 

 press, wie bei den Lophobranchiern. Die Gliederung ist ziemlich spärlich, äusserst zart und 

 sogar oft leicht zu übersehen, der Obergang vom un- zum gegliederten Strahle erfolgt hier 

 fast unmeiklich. Nur die Strahlen der Bauchllossen und die letzten der zweiten Dorsale und 

 der Anale sind zugleich gabelig getheilt". 



5 p. 279 [13]. Very little is to be found in the literature about the osteology of Aulostoma ; 

 generally the few remarks apply to the family (or "superfamily "1 including both Aulostoma 

 and Fistiilaria, and as the latter apparently has been examined offener, the remarks seem 

 mostly or wholly based on Fistiilaria, nothing particularly concerning Aiilosloma being stated. 

 This is the case e. g. with the statement found in several authors about the four anterior 

 vertebræ being elongated (Cope, Gill (liSSti, .Iordan & Hvermann, Regan etc.) or elongated 

 and fused together (Günther, Sm. Woodward, Boulenger), and the absence of ribs. A few- 

 remarks concerning the cranial skeleton are given by Cuvier (9 b, T. 2, p. (525). After having 

 pointed out some cranial features characteristic for his family "'Bouches en fti'ite" (i. e. : 

 Fistiilaria, Aiilosloma. Centri.fciis and Amphisile', especially regarding the composition of the 

 elongated snout ("Les frontaux en torment la base; I'ethmoide, excessivement alongé, en fait 

 la plus grande partie; et le vomer, placé au bout du précédent, forme la pointe."), he con- 

 tinues: "Dans la fistiilaria tabacaria, le museau est en demi-cône grêle et un peu creux à sa 

 face inférieure. Les apophyses anté et post-orbitaire continuent la courbe régulière et à peu 

 près circulaire du bord orbital du frontal, de sorte que plus des deux tiers des orbites sont 

 entourés par les frontaux." It is quite evident from this description, that Aulostoma is meant 

 instead of Fistiilaria, and every doubt is removed, when we read the description of "I'au/o- 

 stome chinois", quoted below p. 339 [73] note 14. Through some mistake the names have 

 simply been exchanged. 



The most important contributions are given by Starks (55); after having pointed out 

 the characteristics for the "superfamily " e. g. that "parietals are absent, pterotic interposed 

 between and entirely separating prootic from exoccipital; condyle of basioccipital a round 

 knob" etc. (p. 624\ he states for Aulostoma: "post-temporal not united to cranium; palatines 

 united to each other and to cranium; each transverse process behind fourth vertebra is 

 formed equally by a process from each adjoining vertebra (or each end of each vertebra 

 carries a half of each transverse process)"; and p. 629 he gives the following description of 

 the skull: "The epiotics are large, low, conical bones on each side of the supraoccipital. Each 

 articulates to the frontal anteriorly, to the exoccipital posteriorly, and to the pterotic at its 

 outer edge. The pterotic forms the posterior lateral angle of the cranium. It is anterior to 

 the exoccipitals, which form, with the basioccipital, a jjosterior projection. The exocci|)itals 

 project downwards on each side far below the condyle of the basioccipital. They meet 

 broadly above the foramen magnum." A full and in all essentials very correct descri|)tion is 

 given of the shoulder girdle, illustrated with a figure. The only point in this description I 

 wish to correct is the statement on p. 630: "The hypocoracoid (my coracoid) is attached 

 along its entire anterior edge to the clavicle without leaving the usual opening between." 

 The opening is really found, but very small indeed; cf. my fig. 5, PI. III. 



The branchial arches are figured by Bathke (44, Tab, I, Fig. 4, Aulostoma (Fistnlaria) 

 chinen.se). The figure is correct in every essential; his description, given below, as well as 

 the explanation of the figure and the tabular summary on p. 19 show, that R.'s interjjretation 

 of the component parts is also the right one. He writes on p. 17: 'Anmerkung. Eine sehr 

 merkwürdige Abweichung von der Regel, nach welcher bei den Gräthenfischen die Kiemen- 



I have not been able to find anything about the Notacantliini in the continuation of Kneh's 

 work in tlie 43tli and 44th vols, of the Wiener Sitzungsberichte. 



