52 



SCAXDINAVIA>J FISHES. 



One specimen of this species has Avandered into 

 the Sound. "It was found," says Nilsson, "on the 24th 

 of December, 18.52, not far from shore, outside Alstorp 

 south of Laiidskrona. The fish was stranded among the 

 seaweed, where it lay and lashed about in its struggles to 

 get free. It was killed with boathooks by the fishermen and 

 brought to Lund after the holidays, where it has since 

 been stuffed and is ])reserved in the University Zoologi- 

 cal Museum. It was 5 feet long and weighed 67 ^/g ll)s." 



The Royal Museum has a specimen of the Maigre 

 from Cape Colony, where this species is said to be very 

 common, and from which place came the specimens 

 fii'st described l)y Lacepede and Cuvieb" under the 

 name Lahnts {Scicena) hoi olepi dolus. Another specimen, 

 whicli has formed the basis of the above remarks and 

 the figure, has been obtained by the Museum from the 

 Museum of Vienna through the generosity of Professor 

 Steindachner. 



fam. sparidj:. 



Form of the hod// deep and compressed. External hones of the head smooth; the frst two suborbital (preorbital) 

 bones, often united, broad and covering the maxillarij bones •when the mouth is closed. Scales ctenoid or cycloid. 

 The scales of the body are, as a rule, not continued over the dorsal or anal fin, but these fins may yenerally be 

 partly concealed in a groove formed by a scaly fold of skin. One continuous dorsal fin, the spinous-rayed part 

 of which is about equal in extent to the soft-rayed, or a little longer. System of the lateral line but little de- 

 veloped on the head. Either closely-set, cutting or pointed, at least somewhat compressed teeth in the front of the 

 Jaws, or obtuse teeth on the posterior parts of the intermaxillaries and the mandible. Palate and tongue without 

 teeth. Chin ivithout barbels. Ventral fins thoracic, tvith one spinous ray and five soft. 



This family, like the pi'eceding one, was precon- 

 ceived by Artedi. The definition he gave his genus 

 Sparus^, in Cuvier's system was represented by the 

 two families Sparidce and Mmiidce'', and the character 

 to which Aktedi seems to have paid most attention, 

 namely the nature of the jaw-teeth, is still of service 

 in the system of our own times for the generic divi- 

 sion of the family Sparidce. 



The Sparid(e, to which Nilsson has given the 

 Swedish name hafsrudefiskar (Sea Gibel Carps) on 

 account of the general depth of the body, occupy a 

 peculiar intermediate position, which makes a defini- 

 tion of the family very difficult. The deep form of 

 the bod)% and the movable cardiform teeth of certain 

 species remind us of the scale-finned fishes (Squami- 

 pinnes), while other species, Avith their flat, sharp front- 

 teeth, point to the Teuthididce. Again, the long, pointed, 

 sometimes falcate pectoral fins call to mind the Mackerel 

 group, while the deep snout and the strong, conical 

 front-teeth in other species remind us of their close 

 rcisemblance to Ilccmulon and some other genera of the 

 Fercoid family. Although they are Avithout the marked 



development of the muciferous system of the lateral 

 line which Ave find in the SciajnidiT! and Avhich consists 

 in its extension over the head, still the naked (scale- 

 less) parts of the head are generally covered Avith a 

 skin densely pierced by fine pores. It is at the mar- 

 gins of the preorbital bones and the preoperculum that 

 these pores most clearly develop into attenuated, hori- 

 zontal tubes. Similar tubes, spread out like the fingers 

 of a hand, occur too on the posttemporal bones, Avhich 

 in their posterior part appear like scales, on the scales 

 in an oblique roAv"* ascending from these bones, on a 

 corresponding roAV of scales in the same direction from 

 the superior articulation of the preoperculum and on the 

 scales Avhich cover the posterior suborbital bones. The 

 direction of these roAvs of scales may vaiy^, so that those 

 Avhich ascend from the posttemporal bone a-nd the preo- 

 perculum may meet, or the latter take an opposite 

 course, more obliquely forAvards, over the forehead; but 

 still their appearance clearly shoAVs that they correspond 

 to the so-called muciferous ducts on the head, and they 

 may be found, though they are not so distinct, even 

 in the common Perch. 



III. 



p. .517, pi. 21, fig. 2; Cuv.. Vai.., (Sciirna) 1. c, p. 5.S; Smith: ///. Zool. ^. Afr., Fish., pi. XV. 



" Lacicp., {LnJjfua) 1. 



* Gen. Pise, p. 35. 



" Regn. Anim., ed. 2. vol. II, p. 180 (.SjKiroidet:) and p. 18G {Manides). 



'' Valenciennes and Bonaparte culled tliis row of scales sqwunce superscapulares, Winther in Zoologia Daiu'ca Fiske. Forklaring til 



Tavlernc, ]>. II, fig. 2, k-, lias called il. "Sidelinions Nakkegren" (tlie occipital hrancli of the lateral line). 



