18S6.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 24.3 



Later, 1857, Flollard worked over the material of Bibron, and adopted 

 — on skeletal characters only — an arrangement of genera, not unlike 

 that given in the present paper. His genera are Xenopterus (not Amer- 

 ican), Rhynchotus (= Canthujaster), Batrachops {— Colomesus), Braehy- 

 cephalus ■{= Tetraodon)^ Apsiccphalus (= Sphceroides and Lagocephalus), 

 Monotreta (not American). 



Hollard sup{)lies a Latiu form to the French names of Bibron, and 

 using the name Tetrodon as a general term, he places Bibron's Tetraodon 

 as a subgenus under his own Brackycephalus. 



In 1807, Bleeker, probably regarding lineatus as the proper type of 

 Tetraodon, seems to have suppressed the latter name as a synonym of 

 the name Crayracion used by Klein, before the date of the Systema 

 Naturoe. Other ichthyologists do not give Klein's names precedence 

 over those of Linnaeus, and under the rules of nomenclature which we 

 adopt, Crayracion must be disregarded. 



In 1873, Professor Gill used the name Tetrodon as synonymous with 

 Lagocephalus, and in 1885 as synonymous with Arothron. In 1883, Jor- 

 dan and Gilbert regarded T. testudineus as its type, thus making it 

 synonymous with Sphceroides. 



It seems evident to us, from the above data, that it is best to regard 

 Tetraodon lineatus as the type of Tetraodon, and thus to make the latter 

 name the equivalent of Arothron. 



The numerous species of Tetraodon belong chiefly to the East Indies, 

 but one being known from American waters. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF TETRAODON. 



a. Entire body, excejit snout and caudal peduncle, thickly beset with long, robust 

 qnill-like spines, which are longest and most numerous on the belly. Snout 

 short, cuboid ; interorbital space wide, concave, its width greater than length 

 of snout, and nearly twice diameter of eye ; nasal tentacle bifid to the base, the 

 inner surface of each division thickly covered with minute, cup-shaped depres- 

 sions, the openings of the nostrils. Length of tentacle half its distance from 

 eye and one-fourth diameter of eye. No cirri or dermal flaps or folds. D. 9, 

 A. 10. Color dark brown, everywhere above with round white spots, most 

 numerous on caudal peduncle, the largest half diameter of pupils; a dark area 

 around base of pectorals, bounded by a white line. Several parallel longi- 

 tudinal black streaks below pectorals. Size large (about 12 inches'). 



Erethizon, 11. 



Amblyrhynckotus Bib. T. Houckenii Block, oblongus Bloch, Richei Fr^minville, albo- 

 guttatus Bib. (diagnosis given). 



Aphanacanthes Bih. T. reticulatus Bib. (no diagnosis). 



EiAp4dorh}inquc Bib. T. Freyciuetii Bib., Leschenaultii Bib., Gernaertii Bib. (no diag- 

 nosis). 



Geneion Bib. T. (G.) maculatum Bib. (diagnosis given). 



Catophorhijnque Bib. C. lampris Bib., longispinis Bib. (diagnosis given). 



Batrachops Bib. T. psittacus, Schn. (Ostracion tetraodon Seba) (diagnosis given). 



Monotreta Bib. T. cutcutia Ham. (Buchanan) (diagnosis given). 



Dichotomycier Bib. T. fluviatilis Ham. (Buchanan) (do diagnosis). 



EpMp])ion Bib. E. maculatum Bib. (diagnosis given). 



Xenopctres Bib. X. Belangerii Bib. (diagnosis given). 



Jihynchotes Bib. T. Gronovii Cuv., margaritatus Riipp., striolatus Quoy et Gaim.j 

 Peronii Bib., latero-fiisciatus Bib. (diaguosis given). 



