SPAROID FISHES OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. 525 



126. DIPLODUS S ARGUS. (Sargo.) 



Sparus No. 1.3, Artedi, Geiu-ia, 37; No. 2, Sueci, Descr., .5S, 17,38. 



Sj)ani8 sarfivs Liun.Teus, Sysfc. Nat., ed, x, 278, 1758 (Mediterranean), uud of early 



Eurojiean authors. 

 Sar{/U8 varicf/atus Lace))ede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., iv, 207, 1803 (Mediterranean); Goode, 



Bull. U. S. N.M., V, 52, 187(> (Bermuda); Goode, Cat. Fish. Bermuda, Am. 



Jour. Science and Art, 292, 1877 (Bermuda). 

 Sargits raucits Geoftroy St. Hilaire, Descr. de I'Egypte, Poiss., 1813, j)I. xviir, fij^. j. 

 Savf/us ronrlehii Cuv. & Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss., vi, 14, pi. cxli, 1830 (Mediterraneau), 



and of European writers generally. 

 Sargits vetula Cuv. »fe Yal., 1. c. 



Habitat: Coast of southern Eiuopo; Beriiiiiclas. 



Etymology : (tapynq^ sargus, the ancient name of a species of this genus. 



This species is known to us only from descriptions. It is included 

 in the American fauna on the record of Dr. Goode of its occurrence in 

 the Bermudas. 



The remaining European species of the genus are the following: 



127. DIPLODUS VULGARIS (Geoffroy St. Hilaire). (Sargo Seifia.) Med- 



iterranean Sea and neighboring islands. 



128. DIPLODUS ANNULARIS (Gmelin). (Mojarra.) Mediterranean Sea 



and neighboring islands. ' 



129. DIPLODUS FASCIATUS (Cuv. & Val.). Western Mediterraneau and 



shores of northwestern Africa. 



This species is intermediate between Biplodus and Charax, and, accord- 

 in g to Steindachner, its existence makes the latter genus untenable. 



XXIX. CHARAX. 



Charax Risso, Europe Meridio»ale, in, 1826, 353 (dvutirosfis^^jmntazzo) not Charnx of 



Gronow, which is pre-Linua-an). 

 Puntazzo Bleeker, Systema Pei-carum Revisum, 1875, 284 (inmtazzo; substitute for 



Charnx, regarded as preoccupied). * 



Type: Spams pmitazso Gmelin. 



Etymology: Charax, /npa:, an ancient name given "on account of 

 the row of teeth which continues without interruption on each jaw." 



This genus is very close to IHplodm, from which it differs only in the 

 presence of a single row of very small molars instead of two or more 

 rows of larger ones. The snout is slender and projecting, giving the 

 species a somewhat peculiar physiognomy. The genus is of slight 

 value, but may be retained for the present, although, as Steindachner 

 has already noticed, THplodns faseiatus with two rows of small molars 

 marks the transition from Diplodm to Charax. The generic name 

 Puntazzo is unnecessary if the pre-Linnaean and prebinomial names of 

 Gronow (J 754) are not to be considered. Charax of Gronow is based on 

 species of Characinida'. A single species is known : 



130. CHARAX PUNTAZZO (Gmelin). Mediterranean Sea and islands of 



the Eastern Atlantic. 



