340 EEVIEW OF SPECIES OF BELONID^. 



This genus is well distingaished from the others in this group by the 

 presence of gill-rakers. We are not sure as to the number of species 

 which it may contain. The presence of gill-rakers has been verified by 

 us only in Belone belone L. ( = vulgaris Cuvier) and in Belone platyura, 

 Bennett. Dr. Vinciguerra informs us that gill-rakers occur in Belone 

 acus Eisso also, but the latter nominal species is regarded by Steiu- 

 dachner as based only on specimens of B. belone in which the vomerine 

 teeth are abnormally undeveloped. In all the other species which we 

 have seen gill rakers are absent. 



The question as to the name which this genus should retain offers 

 some difficulty. The first definite restriction of the composite Linnsean 

 genus JEsox is that of liafiuesque, who retains as the type Usox belone. 

 It is equally certain, however, that if we could question Linnaeus as to 

 his intended type (as some ornithologists have proposed to do) the spe- 

 cies selected by him would be Bsox luclus. Artedi first us^d the name 

 JEsox in a generic sense, and at first only E. lucius was included by him 

 in it. The name of Esox was taken by Artedi from Pliny, and the Esox 

 of Pliny was regarded by Artedi as being the common pike. 



Besides the differences in the development of the gill-rakers, the 

 typical species of Belone diff'ers from all our Tylosun in the form of the 

 body, in the development in most individuals of vomerine teeth, in the 

 posterior position of the ventrals, and in the comparatively smooth 

 upper surface of the head. For purposes of comparison we give here a 

 description and an outline of the synonymy of Belone belone. The speci- 

 mens examined by us are all from Venice. 



1. Belone belone.* Gar-tish or Needle-fisli of Europe. 



Hsox belone Linuteus, Systema NatnrtB, x, 17r)8, 314 (and of early authors). 

 Belone acus Eisso, Euroxje M^ridionale, iii, 443, 1826, and of Cuv. & Val., Guu- 



ther, etc. 

 Belone t-ulgarw Fleming, British. Animals, 184, 1828; Cuv. & Val., sviii, 399, 



1846; Gunther, vi, 254; Steindachner,-Sitzb. Akad. d. Wiss., Wien, 1868, 



Ivii, 732; Day, Fish. Gt. Britain and Ireland, 147, and of most recent 



writers. 

 Ramphisioma vulgaris Swainson, Fishes, etc., ii, 297, 1830. 

 Belone rostrata Faber, Fische Islands, 152, 1829. 



Hemirhamjyhus eiiro2)ceu8 YavreW, "Mag. Nat. Hist., 1837, 505" (Young). 

 Macrogvaihus ncolopax Gronow, Systema, ed. Gray, 1854, 147. 

 Hemirhamphus obtusus Couch, "Zoology, 1978," about 1860 (Young). 

 Belone linnwl Malm., " Bohuslaus Fauna," 553, 1866. 

 ? Belone gracilis Giiuther, vi, 252, 1846 (i)0t of Lowe?). 

 ? Belone euxiiti Gunther, vi, 252, 1846. 

 ? Belone cornidii Giinther, vi, 255, 1846. 



Habitat. — Mediterranean Sea and northward along the coasts of 

 Europe to ISTorway and the Baltic Sea. 



* If the above synonymy be correct, all the European species of Belone belong to a 

 single species, Belone belone. The character of the absence of vomerine teeth, assumed 

 to distinguish Belone acus, euxini, and gracilis from B. vulgaris and B. cornidii, has been 

 shown to be vall^eles^, and the differences in the size of the scales and the size of the 

 teeth, assumed to distinguish these from each other, still lack precision of definition. 



