ICHTHYOLOGY. 



ANALYTICAL TABLE OF THE ANABASID^ (Dam.) leading to OpAiccpAaiMj by its possessing palatine teeth. Stomach Classifica- 



caical ; two pancreatic caeca ; no air-bladder. One species. tion — 



Fin-rays much prolonged. Genus XI. Opiiicephalcs, Bloch. Resembling a snake some- Acanthop- 



In the ventrals only, what in their elongation, and in their depressed but rounded head terous 



A solitary one. being covered with large scales. Acanthopterygians merely in Fishes. 



Dorsal short TrichopUS 9. having an anal spine, the other fins being destitute of spinous v , _ , ' 



Dorsal long CoLlSA 6. rays. They are distinguished from other Acanthopterygian fish 



Several, one of them very long OsphroMENUS 8. with thoracic ventrals in the cranium and face being covered, as in 



In all the fins, except tke pectorals Macrupodxjs 7. the Mullidw anil Anabas, -with polygonal scales or plates. Body 



Fin-rays not elongated. elongated, nearly cylindrical anteriorly, somewhat compressed pos- 



Palate toothless. teriorly. Head more or less depressed, a little wider than the 



Opercula and subopercula acutely toothed Anabas 1. body. Dorsal extending far along the back; caudal rounded. 



Opercula and subopercula not toothed. Lateral line continuous. Jaws, vomer, and palatines furnished with 



Teeth on the lips Helostoma 2. villiform or card-like teeth, some of them longer than others. 



Teeth on the jaws Polyacanthus 3. Branchiostefjals five. Ventrals with a spine and five soft rays. 



Teeth on the palate. Stomach ca;cal, long, and obtuse ; intestines rather short ; pancre- 



Dorsal with spinous rays Spirobranchus 10. atic cu;ca two. Twenty species. 



Dorsal without spinous rays Ophicephalus II. 



Genus I. Anabas, Cuv. Preorbitar, operculum, suboperculum, TAitTTV 



and interoperculum serrated, or strongly denticulated ; preopercu- MUGIL FAMILY, 



lura smooth-edged and not visible, being covered with tlie suborbi- t'i ■n i- i, f A/r n t r I u *1, i.„ il,„ 7ir if 



; ' , s . • 1 11- ,-1 vi„.,.i, „ 11 to..„.;„.,i The Lngish name of Mullet, applied both to we lUulh 



tars and scales. Form anteriorly elliptical. Mouth small, terminal. , it P ■ . ' '' . , . , 



Maxillary slender, and retiring under the narrow serrated preorbi- and Mucjties, IS apt to occasion some misapprehension ; and^ 



tar ; the rest of the suborbitars, large and flat, cover the cheek, we have therefore, in our notice of the Mullida, spoken of 



temples, and preoperculum. Many pores on the head and mandible, them always as Surmullets, an appellation hitherto proper 



Villiform teeth on the jaws, the outer ones a little stronger ; none jg ^^^ species only. The two French names of Muges 



in front of the vomer or on the palatines, but far back on the vo- ,^^^j ^j^j^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ jj^y^ ^^ ^^ confounded. Clivier 

 mer among the three superior pharyngeals there is a group ot .i c • i ir / i .i 



teeth; pharyngeal teeth crowded, conical and pretty large. Bran- traces the name from the Spanish Mligel, where the f/ 



chiostegals six. Dorsal and anal nearly of equal height throughout, sounds in theCastlhan dialect like the bcottish or Irish 



Lateral line broken under the last two dorsal spines, recommenc- aspirated h. This is softened on the shores of Biscay to 



ing two scales lower. Scales large, hard, and strong. Stomach Meuille, whence the English Mullet. They are mentioned 



small ; pancreatic ca-ca few ; air-bladder forked behind, its points . Aristotle and Others of the ancient authors by the names 



filling recesses on the sides of the tail. Two supplementary upper ^^^. ^y,^^/^^^^^ „^ Chelo„es, Mtjxon, Kephalos, Sphenem, 

 pharyngeal.s, complicated for holding water. Une species. ,-, ^ , • ■ -i- i i ■ 



Genus II. Helostoma, Kuhl and Van llass. Mouth small, com- and Keslreus, Cefulo remains m use at Naples to designate 



pressed, and protractile, seeming to issue from, and recede under a species. There has been much confusion among British 



the preorbitar. Teeth seated in the lips. Branchiostegals five, ichthyologists with respect to the proper application of the 



Pharyngeal complications very curious. specific names fo the species that frequent tlie British seas, 



Genus III. Polvacanthus, Kuhl and Van Hass. Named be- ,^^^j ^j. y^r.-gH i,^^^ ti,,.,,,^,^ ^ flood of |jMit on the obscurity 



cause of the numerous dorsal and anal spines. Uistinguisned from , ,. w .. a a,t v ii .u »i c 



Hdosto^na by the jaws being armed with teeth; from Analas by ^7 h.s excellent hgures. Mr Yarrell, say the authors of 



the absence of denticulations on the operculum ; and from Colxsa tlie Htstoire des Foissons, has given a charming hgure ot 



by the existence of five soft rays in the ventrals. Stomach small, our CapitOH {Mugil Cftpilo, Cuv.) on page 200 of his first 



cajcal, placed vertically across the long axis of the fish; pyloric volume, under the name of the Grey Mullet; and at page 



cajcatwo; air-bladder of moderate size. Three species. 207 a fio-ure not less good oi Mugil c/ielo ; and a thiVd 



Genus IV Ctenopom.. Pet. Gill-cover with two <='-e'centic ^,. '_ . of a different aspect, named by him 3Jugil 



notches, and three pectinated toothed lobes. Teeth on the vomer I r ' J i' 



and palatines. Many spines in the dorsal and anal fins. curtus, -, , r-i ht ii • j- 



Genus V. Betta, Bleek. Teeth on the premaxillaries, maxil- The -/T/i^jri'/cp/jAa/w.?, or MediteiTanean Grey Mullet, IS dis- 



laries, and mandible. Palate smooth ; mouth small. Opercular tinguished from the English species by its eyes half covered 



pieces and suborbitar scale-bones not serrated nor denticulated. {,y (,yo adipose veils adherent one to the anterior and the 



Branchiostegals six. A small spine in the dorsal anal, and ven- ^^j^g^. ^^ ^^^ posterior margin of the orbit, and by the peculiar 

 trals ; the other rays lointed, and flexible ; short dorsal opposed to , ; .■ .i -ti u u- i i »u „ ..1, 



,, , ' , \\ 1 »u IT i<;nAf„* „!,„,„ concealment of the niaxiarv bone, which, when the moutli 



the long anal; ventrals under the pectorals. Java, 1500 teet above >-"■>->-"■">- > ,,.,,.", ' , , ' ,. , ri., 



the sea. '* closed, is completely hidden beneath the preorbital. 1 he 



Genus VI, Colisa, Cuv. Body oblong, elliptical, compressed, base of the pectoral fin is surmounted by a long carinated 



Back and belly equally curved. Dorsal and anal long, the soft por- scale. This is the best and largest of the Mediterranean 



tions conical; ventrals before the pectorals, of one long, filiform, ki^Js. It weighs about 10 or 12 lb., and does not appear 



soft ray, without any membrane. Preorbitar pectinately toothed. ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ detected in the seas or estuaries of 



Anus situated before the middle of the nsh. liranchiostceals nve. ,^ . . , -^ , . i n -v r*. • 



Scales ciliated. Stomach small; intestinal canal rolled up in a Britain, nor along the oceanic shores of trance. It is 



spiral; two pancreatic ca-ca. Ten species. very common on the coast of Spain, especially around the 



GiiNus Vll. llACROPoDus. (Ofiio;)!, M'Clell.) Pharyngeal appa- island of Ivi9a, where the fishermen are said to recognise 



ratus much as in Colisa and Pohacanthus. Anal long; its soft part two varieties under the names of Mugil and Lissa, When 



and the dorsal also ending in a long tapering point; ventrals con- surrounded by a net, it endeavours, and often successfully, 



sistine of a spine and five articulated rays, the first a long simple . <r .. •. i i • „ „.. tl,„ „rl„„. ;.,* ^ *!,., .>„„■> 



ji, ^ .u .u I >, J 1) v.- t 1 4- (P • to effect lis escape, by leaping over the edges into the open 



filament, the others branched. Branchiostegals four. Two species. '" >-"^»-i- ■•■^ "-"^ i-'i j ^ f o s i 



Genus VIII. Ospueomenus, Comni. Distinguished from Po- sea. 

 Imcanthus and Colisa, chiefly by the shortness of the dorsal and " Its hearing is very fine, as has been noticed by Aris- 



the more complicated upper pharyngeal leaflets. Ventrals situated totle, and it feeds on worms and small marine animals ; but 



a little behind the pectorals, ofa moderate spine, and five articulated j( jj [loubtful, though it has been advanced, that it can live 



rays, the first of wljich is simple and very long. Branchiostegals ^^ vegetable substances. It appears to be of a stupid cha- 

 SIX. stomach ceecal, shaped like a retort: pancreatic cseca two, ^ „ ... , •' i • r m- r *u ^ 



pretty long ; air-bladder simple. Three species. >-acter, a fact which was known in he time of Pliny, for that 



Genus IX. Trichopus, Lacep. (Trichogaster. Schneid.) Dif- author tells US that there IS something ludicrous in the dis- 



fers from Osphromemis in having a more convex profile, and an ab- position of the Mullets; for if they are afraid they conceal 



breviated dorsal of five spines only. Lateral line having a slightly their heads, and thus im.agine they are entirely withdrawn 



sigmoid curvature. Anal long, with many small scales along its from the observation of their enemies 

 base ; five ventral rays, one elongated One species ,, , , , j. j^^ j ^,,g commence- 



Genus \. Spirobranchus, Cuv. The labyrinthiform pharyn- . ' , ,. , c } ■ ■ • i u i 



gealsless complicated than in other genera; approaching Anabas ment of summer, the hshes of this species, excited by the 



in form, and in the comparative fewness of the anal spines, but necessity of living in the fresh water, ap]n-oach the shores 



