714 THE TETRAODONTOIDEA — GILL. 



struciiure of tbe nostrils, the nuuiber of flu rays, and the color, re- 

 course must be had to the previous notices of the E. macnlatum of Bib- 

 ron and Bleeker.* 



The synonymy of this form will then be as follows : 



Ephippion. 



= Ephippion Bihron, Rev. et Mag. Zool. (4), v. 7, p. 281, 1855. 



= Ephippiou i>Zc<;Aer, Atlas Ich. N^erland. lud., v. .^>, pp. 47 (also printed EpMp- 



piiim), 49, 1865. 

 = Hetuicouiatus GUnther, Cat. Fishes, B. M,, v. 8, p. 272, 1870. 



The type E. guttifer{=Tetrodon (juttifer B.) is the only known species, 

 and is confined to the northwest and west African coast. 



Ephippium was apparently a mere slip for Ephippiirn. Ephippium had 

 been twice used before 1854 — by Bolten in 1708 for a genus of mol- 

 lusks, and by Latreille in 1802 for a genus of dipterous insects. Ephip- 

 pion had not been previously used, is sufficiently distinct from Ephip- 

 pium, and has classical sanction, as in logarion. 



1884.) COLOMESUS. (Gill. 



This genus was instituted in 1855 by Bibron and well diagnosed and 

 illustrated in 1857 by Hollard. Its establishment therefore dates from 

 1855, but unhappily a name previously used in ichthj'ology {Batrachops ) 

 was taken by those excellent naturalists. In 1884 I was therefore 

 obliged to give a new name. As the nomenclature is now clear, no fur- 

 ther remarks are necessary. 



Only one species is known, the C. j)sittacvs, found in the northern 

 streams of South America. 



It is noteworthy that the first use of the name Tetraodon in ichthyol- 

 ogy (so far as I know) occurs in connection with the type of this genus, 

 which was called Ostracion tetraodon in Seba's work. 



OTHER GENERA. 



Such are the genera that appear to have undoubted claims for recog- 

 nition in a scientific arrangement of the Tetraodontoidea. There is rea- 

 son to believe, however, that among the genera named by Bibron there 

 may be several others that require admission into the system. The 

 " new species " named by that naturalist have never yet been described. 

 More than a generation has passed away since they were announced, 

 and it certainly is not to the credit of French ichthyologists that they 

 have never been determined. We might reasonably have expected that 

 two learned ichthyologists (Hollard and Bleeker), who have examined 

 the collection, would have determined them. Hollard left his meri- 



*Dr. Giinther can not be blamed, however, for not having given such information, 

 as his specimen (20 inches long) was "s'^uffed," and anyone who has to do with 

 stuffed gyranodonts will acquit him of blame, since he tried to find the charac- 

 ters, as indicated by his queries as to the " nostrils ? " and the number of dorsal rays, 

 "niue-rayed. (?)." 



