ICHTHYOLOGY. 



Classifica- ^oij, excluding the tail. No ventrals. Elongated jaws formed 

 tion ^s in Scomhcresox ; the edge of the maxillary touching the angle of 



Acanthop- 'he long gape of the mouth, which is bounded by the very slender 

 terous premaxillaries and mandible. Branchiostegals nine or ten, as fine 

 Fishes. ^^ * '"'"'• Anus between the small pectorals. Eye large. Dorsal 



V __ / ."pines isolated, each with a membrane in its axilla, extending from 



the occiput to very near the point of the tail, where they can no 

 longer be traced for their minuteness ; anal fin with more nu- 

 merous and taller spines, and apparently a continuous membrane, 

 disappearing also near the hair-like point of the tail ; no caudal. 

 None of the spines strong enough to be pungent, but none of them 

 jointed. Teeth arranged in very close, fine, file-like bands, on the 

 premaxillaries and mandibles ; individually, when viewed through 

 a lens, they appear to be semi-lanceolate with the points turned 

 backwards. One species. 



Group of Sivonl-yish. Muzzle inform, of a sword or dagger. 

 No detached Jinlets. 



Genus XII. Xiphias, Linn. Allied to Thynnus by their very 

 small scales, the keels on the side of the tail, and interior organ- 

 ization. Their distinctive character is the elongation of the beak, 

 composed chiefly of the premaxillaries and vomer, supported at 

 the base by the frontals, nasal, and maxillaries, and which is a 

 great offensive weapon. Their branchial lamina; are peculiarly 

 formed. The caudal, having the distinctive form of the family, 

 is a powerful instrument of natation. No ventrals. Branchioste- 

 gals seven. Stomach cajcal, conical; pancreatic csca numerous: 

 air-bladder large. Though the difference between these great 

 Scomberoids and Nemichthys is so vast, as respects size, they seem 

 with regard to the structure of the jaws to bear much the same re- 

 lation to that small fish that Hemiraniphus does to Scomlercsox. One 

 species. 



Genus XIII. Tetkapturus, Rafin. Scomberoids with elon- 

 gated and pointed bill as in Xiphias, but which have ventrals, and 

 instead of a keel on each side of the tail, have little crests as iu 

 Scomber. Two species. 



Genus XIV. SIakaira, Lacgp. With the pointed bill and the 

 small lateral caudal crests of Tetrapturus, but without ventrals. 

 One species. 



Genus XV. Histiophorus, Lacgp. (Jfotistium, Ilerm.) Ap- 

 proaches nearly to Xiphias. The bill, and lateral caudal crests of 

 Tetrapturus, but the dorsal is very high ; and their long slender 

 ventrals are composed of two rays. Branchiostegals seven. Sto- 

 mach cffical, a great bag as long as the abdomen ; caca in a mass 

 like a pancreas. Five species. 



Tribe II.— Centronoti, Lacdp. Scomberoids, with the first 

 dorsal composed of isolated spines. 



'.e., No continuous membrane to the spinous dorsal ; with or 

 without finlets behind the articulated dorsal or anal ; and the late- 

 ral caudal keel present in some genera, wanting in others. Ven- 

 trals present in almost all. 



Genus XVI. Nauorates, Cuv. A fusiform body, small uni- 

 form scales, and a keel on the side of tlie tail as in Thynnus. Two 

 free spines before the anal, and the above characters "of the tribe. 

 Four species. 



Genus XVII. Elecate, Cuv. Naticrates, except that the two 

 spines before the anal are wanting, also the lateral caudal keel. 

 The head, moreover, is depressed. Five species. 



Genus XVIII. Lichia, Cuv. Body oblong, compressed, with- 

 out keel or lateral ridges on the tail. Dorsal spines isolated, witli 

 each a membrane in its axilla, and a decumbent spine in front of 

 all. Four species. 



Genus XIX. Paropsis, Jen. Differs from Lichia in the total 

 want of ventrals. 



Genus XX. Chorinemus, Cuv. (Scomberoides, Lacgp.) Llchim 

 with the rays of the second dorsal or of the anal either wholly iso- 

 lated or connected by a low membrane so tender that it disappears 

 easily. Branchiostegals seven or eight, in some only four or five 

 Sixteen species. 



Genus XXI. Trachinotus, Cuv. Differ from Lichia in having 

 a more elevated body, and steeper profile before the eye, and in thi 

 anal and dorsal being more acutely falciform anteriorly. .Some 

 American species have the lower bodies of Lichia, and difler from 

 that genus chiefly in the short, almost truncated snout. Twenty- 

 lour species. •' 



Genus XXII. Apolectus, Cuv. Trachinoti with ventrals at- 

 tached to the throat. One species. 



Genus XXIII. Palinueus, De Kay. Rays of the dorsal not 

 tree, but connected by a low membrane ; a spine before the anal. 



VOL. XH. 



297 



Preoperculum and operculum serrated. The last-mentioned cha- 

 racter seems to remove this fish from the Scomberidai, with which, 

 however, its entire habit accords. One species {Trachinotus ar- 

 yenleus, Storer). 



Tribe III. — Scomheroids, with a cuirassed lateral line ; 

 The scaly shields being themselves keeled and acute. This kind 

 of armour becomes feebler in certain genera, so that it would not be 

 noticed but for the smallness of the other scales. 



Genus XXIV. Caranx, Ouv. Keeled scales on the lateral line 

 strong and acute. Two sejiarate dorsals. A couchant anterior 

 spine ; two free spines before the anal. No appearance of the 

 corset of Thynnus. Posterior dorsal and anal rays sometimes very 

 slightly connected, or even forming detached finlets. Seventy-one 

 species described in the Ilistoire des Poissons, and there divided 

 into — 



Trachurus, wliich have the whole lateral line strongly cuirassed. 



Caranx, with only the posterior part of the line cuirassed. Body 

 lanceolate. Finlets. 



Carangus, low bucklers, low bodies, profiles nearly straight, and 

 no finlets. 



Citula, Caranyi, with the tips of the dorsal and anal much pro- 

 longed. 



Bleeker subdivides the genus into — Megalaspis, equivalent nearly 

 to Caranx ; Decapterus, of which C. kurra is a type ; and Caranx, 

 tlie type of whicli is C.jarra. 



Genus XXV. Caranqiohthys, Bleek. Premaxillary and man- 

 dibular teeth pluriserial ; those forming the external row longer, 

 with some canines in front of the mandible ; teeth on the vomer', 

 palatines, and tongue. Preoperculum denticulated. Lateral line 

 armed with spinous shields. Branchiostegals seven. Kema. 



The genus Caranx is succeeded naturally by small groups of 

 Scomheroids, having a compressed body and an elevated trenchant 

 profile leading to Vomer, in which this compression and elevation 

 are at a maximum. In these the keeled scales of the lateral line 

 are comparatively feeble. 



Genus XXVI. Olistes, Cuv. Resemble the Citiila: in their falci- 

 form acute dorsals and anals, and have in addition the middle rays 

 of the dorsal and anal prolonged into long, simple, articulated fila- 

 ments. Two species. 



Genus XXVII. Scyris, Cuv. Citul(e with high trenchant pro- 

 files. The first or spinous dorsal concealed beneath the integuments ; 

 its spines lying against the interneurals. Anterior soft rays both 

 of dorsal and anal prolonged. Two species. 



Genus XXVIIL Blepuaris, Cuv. Khomboidal form. Spines 

 of first dorsal very short ; anterior rays of soft dorsal, and corre- 

 sponding ones of the anal, prolonged into unbranched articulated 

 filaments ; long ventrals. A convex trenchant profile of moderate 

 height. Three species. 



Genus XXIX. Gallichthys, Cuv. Differs from Blepharis in 

 having a higher profile, convex forehead, and vertical face. Body 

 compressed, high. Ventrals long ; caudal forked ; first dorsal very 

 low, in some reduced to a series of very short spines ; anterior 

 rays of the second dorsal and of the anal prolonged. Three species. 



Genus XXX. Argybeiosus, Lacep. Profile descending in an 

 oblique straight line from the occiput; not gibbous on the 

 forehead. The dorsal line between the nape and the second dorsal, 

 instead of ascending like that of Gallichthys, is almost horizontal,' 

 and on its posterior half it supports the first dorsal ; the general 

 form is therefore less rhomboidal. Ventrals, second ray of the first 

 dorsal, and anterior part of the second dorsal and anal, long and 

 pointed. Two species. 



Genus XXXI. Vomer, Cuv. Oval form, but the gibbous profile 

 of the forehead over the eye projects out of the oval, and the face is 

 rather concave. From the f«rehead to the second dorsal the back is 

 but slightly convex, being almost horizontal. The ventral curve is 

 part of a regular ellipse. First dorsal very low and weak, and its 

 posterior spines not connected by membrane ; second dorsal and 

 anal low and long, not pointed or falciform. One species. 

 _ Genus XXXII. IIynnis, Cuv. Like Vomer, but without a ves- 

 tige of the first dorsal. Branchiostegals eight. Differs much from 

 Vomer in its skeleton. • Stomach siphonal, the pylorus being at the 

 point of a dilated, compressed, triangular sac; pancreatic Cieca 

 numerous ; very large air-bladder prolonged into two conical pro- 

 cesses, one on each side of the tail. One species. 



Tribe IV. — Scomheroids, having no detached finlets, no 

 isolated dorsal spines, and no lateral armature of 

 the tail ; ^ divided into genera having two dorsals, and 

 those which have onhj one. {a.) Tioo dorsals. 



Genus XXXIII. Seriola, Cuv. Differs from Caranx in wanting 

 the armature of the lateral line, and from Lichia in the dorsal spines 



2p 



Classifica- 

 tion — 



Acanthop- 

 terous 

 Fishes. 



