216 



ICHTHYOLOGY. 



Malacop 



lerygii 



A)»(lnmi. 



nales. 

 Cliipidse. 



Genus Engraui.is, Cuv. Tlic Anchovirs differ con- 

 siderahlj' from the true lierrings in Iiaving tlie moutli cleft 

 far beliind the eyes ; the gills more open, with twelve or 

 a still greater number of rays ; the maxillaries straight and 

 / elongated, and there projects in front of the mouth a small 

 pointed muzzle, under which are fixed very small inter- 

 maxillaries. 



The best known have not the sharp-edged belly ; their 

 anal fin is short, and the dorsal is placetl opposite to the 

 ventrals. 



Clupea encrasicolus, Linn. The common anchovy [TAn- 

 c/iois, Fr.) has the back of a bluish-brown colour, the 

 belly silvery. It measures from four to seven inches 

 long. The anchovy formed one ingredient of the f/arum, 

 a favourite sauce of the Romans ; and when pickled it is 

 much prized at the present day. It is fished in greatest 

 quantity in the Mediterranean, but is found as far north 

 as the coast of Holland. It lays its spawn near the shore, 

 from December to March, at which time it is supposed to 

 leave the deep sea and approach the coasts. E»f/rmilis 

 mdelta, Cuv., an inhabitant of the Mediterranean, is small- 

 er than the common anchovy. Among some remarkable 

 American species of this genus, the Eng. edentulus is with- 

 out teeth. Others, as the Chip, atherinoides, Clup. te- 

 lara, and Chip, pimsa, have the body compressed, and its 

 lower edge serrated. 



Genus Thryssa, Cuv. Differs from the last-mention- 

 ed anchovies only in the great prolongation of the maxil- 

 laries. The species occur in the East Indies. 



Genus Megaiops, Lacep. Differs from the herrings 

 in having the belly blunt, and the body not compressed. 

 The jaws and palatine bones are covered with small, even, 

 sharp teeth ; there are from twenty-two to twenty-four 

 rays in the gill-covers ; and the last ray of the dorsal fin, 

 as also often that of the anal, is prolonged into a filament, 

 as in Clialncssus. 



One species is found in America, the Savalle or Apa- 

 like {Chip, cypriuoidcs, Bl.), which attains the enormous 

 length of twelve feet ; it has fifteen dorsal rays. Ano- 

 ther Indian species, Megalojic Jilamcnteux of Lacep., has 

 been confounded by Russel with the preceding, under tile 

 name of Apalihe. Its dorsal fin lias seventeen rays. 



Genus Elops, Linn. Is very similar in structure to 

 Megaiops, but wants the elongated filament of the dorsal 

 fin. It has thirty or more rays in the branchiostegous 

 membrane ; a flat spine on the upper and lower edge of 

 the caudal fin. The species are found in both hemi- 

 spheres. 



Elops saurus is described by Sir Hans Sloane as be- 

 longing to America. According to Cuvier, the Argentina 

 machnata, I'orsk., Mugil taUnoiieus, Forsk., the Tinagow, 

 Russ., Syiiode clmois, Lac, Mugil appendiculatiis, Bosc, 

 the Pounder, Sloane, and the Argentina Carolina, Linn., 

 are all the same as Elops saurus, while the Sawns maximus, 

 usually confounded with it, belongs to a different genus. 



Genus Butirinus, Commerson. Muzzle prominent 

 like that of the anchovies, and the mouth slightly cleft; 

 twelve or thirteen rays on the branchiostegous membrane ; 

 close and even teeth on the jaws ; and (a peculiar charac- 

 ter) the tongue, vomer, and palatines closely paved with 

 rounded teeth. These fishes arc described under various 

 names by different authors. 



The Elopes and Butirini are found in both oceans. 

 They are pretty, silvery-looking fishes, and make excel- 

 lent soup. 



Genus Chirocentrus, Cuv. Have thejaws formed like 

 those of the herrings; both maxillaries and inter-maxilla- 

 ries furnished with strong conical teeth, two of which 

 above and all below are very long. The tongue and 

 branchial arches are bristled with teeth like a comb, but 

 there are none on the vomer or palatines. Their gill- 



covers have seven or eight rays, of which the external 

 are very broad. Above and below each pectoral fin is a 

 long, pointed, membranous scale, and the rays of those 

 fins are very hard. The body is elongated, compressed, 

 and sharp beneath, but not serrated. The ventral fins 

 are very small, and the dorsal shorter than the anal, 

 opposite to which it is placed. The stomach forms a long, 

 narrow, and pointed sac, the pylorus being near the cardia ; 

 no ca2ca ; the swimming bladder long and narrow. 



One species only is known, of a silvery hue, and from 

 the Indian Ocean. It is the Esoce chirocentre, Lac, Clup. 

 dentex, Schn. and Forsk., Clup. dorab, Gmel., Wallach, Russ., 

 and probably also the Parring or Chnees of the Moluccas. 

 Genus Hyodon, Lesueur. Possesses the general form 

 of the herrings, and their sharp belly, but that part is not 

 serrated. The dorsal fin is placed opposite to the anal ; 

 the gill-covers have eight or nine rays; hooked teeth on 

 the vomer ; palatines and tongue as in trouts. 



Those which are known live in the fresh waters of 

 North America. 



Genus Ebythrinus, Gronov. A range of conical 

 teeth in each jaw, some of which in front are longer than 

 the rest ; the palatines are covered with close even teeth. 

 The gill-covers have five broad rays ; the head is without 

 scales ; and the cheeks covered by hard sub-orbitals. The 

 body long, little compressed, covered with large scales 

 like those of the carp. The dorsal fin is placed above the 

 ventrals. The stomach forms a broad sac, and there are 

 numerous small ctca. The swimmingbladder is very large. 

 We may mention as a characteristic species the .Esoa; 

 Malaharicus of Bloch. 



These fishes inhabit the fresh waters of warm climates. 

 Their flesh is agreeable. 



Genus Amia, Linn. Similar to the preceding in many 

 respects, but with twelve rays in the gill-covers. Below 

 the lower jaw is an osseous buckler, which exists also in 

 Megaiops and Elops, though of smaller size in those ge- 

 nera. The dorsal fin, beginning between the pectorals 

 and ventrals, extends nearly to the caudal ; the anal is 

 short. Each nostril has a small tubular appendage. The 

 stomach is ample and fleshy; the intestine without caeca. 

 The swimming bladder is cellular, like the lung of a reptile. 

 Only one species, Amia calva, is known. It resides in 

 the rivers of Carolina, where it feeds on crabs. It is sel- 

 dom eaten. 



Genus Sudis, Cuv. The characters of this group are 

 nearly the same as those oi Erythrinus, excepting that 

 their body is proportionally longer, and the dorsjl and 

 anal fins are placed opposite to each other, and, nearly of 

 ah equal size, occupy the posterior third of the length of 

 the body. The species live in fresh water. 



Three kinds are now known. One, Sudis Adansonii, 

 Cuv., was found in Senegal by Adanson, and in the Nile 

 by Riippel. Another, of a much larger size, with great 

 bony scales and an oblong muzzle, is a native of Brazil, — 

 the Sudis gigas, Cuv. A third, Sudis Niloticus, discover- 

 ed by Ehrenberg in the Nile, has a singular spirally con- 

 voluted funnel adhering to the third gill, which may be 

 analogous to what has been observed in Anabas and neigh- 

 bouring genera. 



Genus Osteoglossum, Vandelli. Distinguished from 

 Sudis principall}' by two barbels, which depend from the 

 symphysis of the lower jaw ; the anal and caudal fins are 

 united. 'I'he tongue is rendered very rough by a cover- 

 ing of short straight teeth, so that it may be used as a 

 rasp to reduce fruits to a pulp. 



Osteoglossum Vandellii, Cuv., is a native of Brazil. 



Genus Lepisosteus, Lacep. Muzzle formed by the 



union of the maxillaries, inter-maxillaries, and palatines. 



with the vomer and ethmoid, which the lower jaw equals 



in length. The jaws have along their edge a row of lony 



Malacop. 



terygii 

 Abilumi- 



nales. 

 Clupidte. 



