350 TRICHITJEID^. 



moderate length. Each ventral spine is inserted in advance of the 

 pectoral ; it is tubercular, very long, its length being equal to the 

 height of the body. The vent is situated far backwards, and its distance 

 from the head is more than the length of the latter. Scales apparently 

 none ; lateral line bent downwards anteriorly. Uniform sUvery. 

 a. The specimen is only 2^ inches long, and apparently young; 



therefore several of the characters mentioned may be modified 



in a mature state. 



6. THYRSITES. 



ThjTsites, Cuv. ^- Val \aii. p. 196. 



Body rather elongate ; cleft of the mouth wide . The first dorsal con - 

 tinuous, with the spines of moderate strength, and extending on to the 

 second. Two to six spurious fins behind the dorsal and anal. The 

 greater portion of the body naked. Several strong teeth in the jaws ; 

 teethon the palatine bones. No keel on the tail. Seven branchiostegals. 

 Air-bladder present. Pyloric appendages in moderate number. 



Seas between the tropics. Mediterranean. 



1. Thyr sites atun. 



Scomber atun, Euphrasen, Vetensk.Acad.NyaHandl. xii. Stockh. 1791, 



p. 315. 

 Acinacee batarde, Bory St. Vine. Voy. i. pi. 4. f. 2. 

 Thyrsites atun, Cuv. 8f Val. viii. p. 196. pi. 219 ; Cuv. R^qne Anim. 



HI. Pom. pi. 49. f. 1. 



altivelis, Richards. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1839, p. 99. 



? Thyrsites chilensis, Cuv. ^- Val. viii. p. 204 ; Gay, Hist. Chit. Zool. 



ii. p. 226. 



D. 20 1 5^ I VI. A. 3^ I VI. Vert. 37. 



Ventral with one spine and five rays. The height of the body is 

 contained eight times in the total length, the length of the head four 

 times and a half. The lateral line descends abniptly below the pos- 

 terior part of the spinous dorsal. Coloration uniform. 



Coasts of South Africa and Van Diemen's Land [and of Chile ?]. 



a. Thirty-five inches long : stufied. Cape of Good Hope. 



b. Adult : has been in chloride of zinc. Van Diemen's Land. From 



the Haslar Collection. — Type of Thyrsites altivelis, Eichards., 

 which is said (?. c.) to difi'er fi'om Th. atun " radiis corpus alti- 

 tudine sequantibus." I find the longest ray considerably lower 

 than the body. I cannot find also seven spiuious fins, as stated 

 by Sir J. Kichardson, but six only. 



2. Thyrsites lepidopoides. 



Cuv. Sf Val. viii. p. 205. pi. 220 ; Less. Voy. Coq. Zool, Poiss. p. 158. 

 pi. 15 ; Gay, Hist. Chil. Zool. ii. p. 228. 



D. 17 U 1 V. A. ^ I IV. 



I 14 I 15 I 



Ventral \vith one spine and five raj^s. The height of the body is 



