The Soft-finned Teleostei 369 



proclaim it a more evolved genus than Agonostomus. The 

 latter, in its species, is not only freshwater, the 11- 12 

 species are found from Mexico and Central America to 

 Mauritius, the East Indies, Australia, Tasmania and New 

 Zealand. Of the nearly 70 species of Mugil, about one- 

 third are dwellers in freshwater or brakish water from 

 N. Africa, the Nile, and the Cape, eastward to rivers of 

 the East Indies; the remaining two-thirds are scattered 

 along coasts from the West Indies and Mexico eastward 

 to India, China and even Australia. 



Of the common striped mullet {Mugil cephalus) Jordan 

 says ( 2^4 : 2 1 9 ) : ' 'This is found throughout eastern Europe, 

 and from Cape Cod to Brazil, from Monterey, Cal. to 

 Chile, and across the Pacific to Hawaii, Japan and the 

 Red Sea. Among specimens from all of these regions we 

 can detect no differences." 



We would regard all as of freshwater and central 

 American origin. As they multiplied some spread abroad 

 to Africa and later to Asia, where they still persist. Others 

 early took to marine coastal life, and became distributed 

 along lines nearly parallel to those pursued by the denizens 

 of freshwaters. 



But derivative and often striking genera seem to have 

 branched off from members of the above three families, to 

 constitute the remaining families already named. Nearly 

 all of these are now marine and spread over the seas of 

 the world. Thus of the Chiasmodontldae we need only 

 refer to the highly modified pelagic and deep-sea genera 

 like Chiasmodon and Champsodon; of the Ammodytidae 

 to the vermiform sandeels (Jmmodytes) ; and of the Icos- 

 teidae to the ragfish Icosteus and the giant Acrotus. Furth- 

 er, if the steady retention of an air-bladder is a delicate 

 guide or indicator, then Its continued presence in most of 

 these might indicate that their invasion of the sea was 

 relatively of recent date. 



The Anabantidae, and Osphromenldae occupy a territory 

 that is almost exactly co-extensive with that of the Ophloce- 

 phalidae. No marine derivatives of them are known, though 

 the Climbing Perch {Anabas scandens) sometimes passes 

 Into the estuaries of tropical east Asiatic rivers. Both 



