ICHTHYOLOGY. 



275 



teroua 

 Fishes. 



Classifica- and many of them very beautiful. They abound in all the 

 tion — warmer seas. Anthias and Merou are mere subdivisions 



Acanthop- gf the genus framed on the existence of scales on the jaws, 

 and their greater or smaller size. In Esox, and many other 

 genera, subdivisions, founded on the greater or smaller ex- 

 tent of the head covered by scales, would be as numerous 

 as the species ; but in Serraiius some such plan of grouping 

 is necessary to enable the ichythologist to describe the mul- 

 titude of species he has to deal with. Some of the Serraiii 

 were known to the ancients by the name of Perca, and 



Fig. 94. 

 Scrranus altivetis. 



Still are called by the Roman fishermen by that of Percia, 

 and by the Venetians by that of Sperga. The Anthias 

 was more renowned in classical times. Aristotle says that 

 the fishers of Sponges called it " sacred," because no vora- 

 cious fishes came to the places which it frequented, and 

 the diver might descend with safety. Pliny reports a 

 singular story regarding il : The fishermen of the Cheli- 

 donian Isles, he says, practise the feeding of this fish, always 

 presenting themselves in the same dress until its apprehen- 

 sions are lulled, and then they introduce a hook into the 

 paste they had daily given it. As soon, however, as an 

 Anthias was deceived so as to allow itself to be hooked, its 

 companions came to its aid, and endeavoured to relieve it by 

 cutting the line with their dorsal spines, shaped like a saw. 



" Anthias his tergo quae non vidit utitur armis. 

 Vim spinae novitqae suo verso supinus 

 Corpore lina secatfixumque intercipit hamum." 



Off., Halieut., 46. 



The modern Greeks give the name of Anthias to the 

 Gymnetrus ; and it is probable that the Anthias of vElian 

 was the Scomberoid alalonga of the modern Italians. 



Family H.— FERCIDiE. 



Genus Perca, Artedi and Linn. Body oblong, scaly ; scales 

 ctenoid; opercular bones variously armed. Seven branchiostegak. 

 Teeth on the vomer, and most frequently on the palatines. No bar- 

 bels ; cheek not cuirassed. Ventrah of Jive jointed rays, thoracic or 

 eubbrachian. Fins always amounting to seven in number, often to 

 eight. Stomach ctecal, that is, the pyloric opening lateral ; pancrea- 

 tic caeca few in number and not bulky; intestinal canal little folded. 



(a.) Two dorsals, or one dorsal with a notch extending to its 

 base; all the teeth villiform ; no canine teeth. 



Genus I. Perca, Cuv. Preoperculum denticulated ; operculum 

 spiniferous ; suboperculum feebly denticulated. Tongue smooth. 

 Fourteen species. 



Genus II. Lates, Cuv. Suborbitar and coracoid strongly den- 

 ticulated ; coarse denticulations at the angle and lower border of 

 the preoperculum. Three species. 



Genus III. Cnidon. Mull, and Trosch. Agrees with iales in 

 the almost total want of i^'eudobranchice, but is distinguished there- 

 from by the entirely smooth under border of the preoperculum, 

 whose hinder border is toothed and sends out a spine beneath. Nos- 

 trils remote from each other. Scapula with only one spine and the 

 suborbitar scale bone nearly smooth. 



Genus IV. Psammofeuca, Uich. Body a handsome and regu- 

 lar ellipse, the rather small head forming the acute anterior end of 

 the curve. Ctenoid scales rather large. Dorsal notched nearly to 

 the base, moving in a scaly sheath. Teeth on the jaws; vomer and pa- 



latine bones crowded, rcimtrfcrf,^i-anuZa»-; tongue smooth; cheeks and Classifica- 



gill-covers scaly ; preorbitar entire on its edge, smooth ; angle of the tion 



operculum running out horizontally into a short strong spine, above .Acanthop- 

 which the edge of the bone is set with teeth like a comb ; under limb terous 

 of the bone smooth ; a small spine on the operculum. Differs from Fishes. 

 Perca in the form of the teeth and by the absence of a well-marked , " , 



preopercular disk ; from Percotabrax by its smooth tongue and ^"^^ "~ 

 solitary opercular spine ; and from Lales by the absence of angular 

 teeth on the lower limb of the preoperculum, and by the perfectly 

 entire preorbitar. This genus might enter the group having a single 

 dorsal. One species, Australia. 



Genus V. Labrax, Cuv. (Percolahrax, Schlegel.) Suborbl- 

 tars and coracoid not denticulated ; two opercular spinous points. 

 A disk of villiform teeth on the tongue. Eight species. 



Genus VI. Centropomus, Lacep. Operculum without spinous 

 points. Dorsals separated by a small scaly interval. Preopercu- 

 lum denticulated on its posterior border, with some teeth in the 

 raised anterior edge of its disk. One species. 



Genus VII. Enoplosus, Cuv. Suborbitar denticulated. Pre- 

 operculum denticulated and armed by a strong spine; operculum 

 and coracoid without spines. Body and vertical fins greatly ele- 

 vated. 



Genus VIII. Diploprign, Kuhl and Van Ilass. Trispinous 

 operculum ; operculum obtuse at the angle, with a denticulated line 

 on the surface of its limb and coarse denticulations on its edge; pre- 

 orbitar entire. One species. 



Genus IX. Grammistes, Bloch. Scales minute, enveloped in 

 mucoid epidermis. Dorsals near each other. Spinous preoper- 

 culum and operculum ; no apparent anal spines. Two species. 



Genus X. Aspro, Cuv. Body elongated. Dorsals at a little 

 distance from each other. Snout thick, smooth, and projecting be- 

 yond the mouth. Two species. 



Genus XI. Ameassis, Commer. (C/mnda, Hamilt. Buch.) Both 

 the anterior and the posterior edges of the preopercular limb denti- 

 culated ; a recumbent spine pointing forward in front of the dorsal ; 

 operculum ending in a point; distinguished ivom Apopon by the 

 contiguous dorsals, and the recumbent spine before the dorsal fin. 

 No pancreatic ca2ca, in which the genus departs from the ordinary 

 Percoid structure. Fourteen species. 



Genus XII. Priopis, Kuhl and Van Ha.ss. Frontal border of 

 the orbit serrated ; in other respects like Ambassis. One species. 



Genus XIII. Microichtvs, Kiipp. General aspect and the form 

 and position of the fins as in Ambassis. Free border of the preoper- 

 culum not denticulated ; an acute ridge extending from the eye 

 dorsal above the scaly operculum. Lateral line commencing under 

 the first rays of the second dorsal ; only two stiff rays in the anal. 

 Mandible projecting a little beyond the upper jaw; orifice of the 

 mouth moderately large, armed by a row of wholly fine teeth ; no 

 teeth visible on the palate. Gill-openings large ; branchiostegals 

 seven. Large scales on the body, easily detached. One species. 

 Sicily. 



Genus XIV. Bogoda, Bleek. Separated from Ambassis by 

 their entire j^reorbital scale-bones and conical jaw-teeth, which are 

 bigger on the fore part of the mandible. Dorsals two, united at 

 the base ; ventrals thoracic. Teeth on the jaws, vomer, and pala- 

 tines. A recumbent spine before the dorsal. Branchiostegals six. 

 Anal spines three. Pseudobranchiae. Six species. Bengal. 

 ■ Genus XV. Nipiion, Cuv. Strong pointed spine at the angle 

 of the preoperculum ; fine denticulations on the vertical limb, and 

 coarse teeth on the horizontal edge of that bone. Three strong, sharp 

 opercular spines; serrated preorbitar. Long subelliptical body. 

 Dorsals connected at the base ; three anal spines. 



Genus XVI. Pomatomus, Risso. Somewhat of the aspect of 

 Mugil. Eye very large. Two short dorsals near the middle of the 

 back, separated from each other; anal posterior to the last one, also 

 short ; back a little keeled in front of the dorsal. Scales ciliated 

 as in the rest of the family, covering the cheeks and gill-covers. 

 Caudal deeply forked. Stomach ca:cal ; twenty-two pancreatic 

 caeca, long, and forming two groups ; air-bladder very large, sim- 

 ple, with red elliptical granular bodies interiorly. One species. 



Genus XVII. Apogon, Lacep. Scales large, readily deciduous. 

 General aspect of Mullus. Dorsals two short, widely separated. 

 Villiform teeth. A double preopercular border finely denticulated. 

 Pancreatic casca few. 



(6.) Two dorsals, or one dorsal deeply notched. Long 

 canine teeth accompanying the villiform bands on the 

 jaws. 



Genus XVIII. Cheilodifterus, Lacep. Have the characters 

 of Apogon, with the addition of long pointed more or less curved 

 teeth on the jaws, along with the fine villiform bands, which exist 

 also on the vomer and palatines. Preoperculum with a finely den- 



