2. HISTIOPHORUS. 513 



duced, conical, extending far over the lower. Two dorsals and two 

 anals, the anterior of which are much longer than the posterior, and 

 formed by spinous and soft rays ; no spurious fins. Ventrals reduced 

 to a single or to two or three spines. Scales none ; sometimes rudi- 

 mentary dermal productions. Small teeth in the jaws and on the 

 palatine bones ; none on the vomer. Seven branchiostegals ; air- 

 bladder present. Pyloric appendages exceedingly numerous. 

 Seas between the tropics ; one species from the Mediterranean. 



1. Histiophorus belone. 



Tetrapturus belone, {Rajinesque) Cur. ^ Vol. viii. p. 280. pi. 227 ; 

 Cuv. JRigne Anim. III. Poiss. pi. 51. f. 1 ; Owen, Osteal. Catal. p. 62 ; 

 Agass. Recherches Poiss. Foss. v. p. 89. tab. E. (skeleton). 



D. 43 16. A. 15 I 7. V. 1. Vert.{|. 



Dorsal tin not higher than the body. The height of the body is 

 one-haLf the length of the head, and one-eighth of the total. The 

 upper jaw is styHform, rounded above and rather flattened beneath ; 

 its length, from the nostrils, is one-half the length of the head. 

 Coloration imiform. 



Mediterranean. 



2. Histiophorus herschelii. 



? Tetrapturus indicus, Cuv. ^- Val. viii. p. 286. 



Tetrapturus herschelii, Gray, Ann. Nat. Hist. i. p. 313. pi. 10. 



D. 42 I 7. A. 12 1 6. V. 1. 



The greater portion of the dorsal fin much lower than the body. 

 The height of the body is more than one-haLf the length of the head, 

 and one-seventh of the total. The upper jaw is rather depressed, 

 rounded superiorly and inferiorly ; its length, from the nostrils, is 

 nearly three-quarters the length of the head. Dermal productions 

 numerous, bifurcate, hidden in the skin. 



Table Bay. 



a. Eleven feet long : stuffed. Table Bay. Purchased of Mr. Smuts. 



— Type of the species. 



b. Head, 37 inches long. 



e. Anterior portion of the skull of a specimen of the same size. 



3. Histiophorus gladius. 



Nieuhoff, Embassy to China, p. 237 ; Marcgr. p. 171 ; Willughh/, 

 App. pi. 5. f. 9 ; Vnlent. iii. p. 509. f. 125 ; Renard, i. t. 34. f. 182, 

 ii. t. 54. f. 233. 



Scoml)cr gladius, Brouss. 31pm. Acrid. Sc. 1786, p. 454. pi. 10 ; lil. 

 taf. 345 (bad). 



Xiphias velifer, PL Schn. p. 93. 



Istiophorus gladius, ZacSp. iii. pp. 374, 375. 



Xiphias ensis, Lacep. ii. p. 296. 



Notistiuui, Ilcrnuiiiii, Ohsen: Zoul. p. 305. 



VOL. II. ^ L 



