278 FISHES 



African waters and important as edible fishes are also perciform 

 Acanthopterygians, namely, Pagrns lanarius, locally called the 

 panga, Dentev argyrozona, the silverfish, and Chrysophrys 

 globiceps, the white stumpnose. A considerable number of 

 other perciform species are somewhat less abundant, but are 

 valued as edible fish and have local names ; of these the follow- 

 ing are the most important : in the family Sciamidae, besides 

 Scicena aquila, Umbrina capensis, the baardman and OtolitJius 

 icquidens, the geelbeck or Cape salmon ; the former owes its 

 name to the short barbel which it bears on the chin ; Dentex 

 rupestris bears the curious name of seventy-four, Daitex filosus 

 is known as the sand-fish ; in the family Sparidai, Cantharus 

 blochii is called the Hottentot, Chrysophrys laticeps, the red 

 steenbras, Chrysophrys gibbiceps, the red stumpnose^ Pagcllus 

 morniyrus, the zeverrim ; Pagellus affinis the roi chorchor ; 

 in the Scorp?enidai Sebastes maculatus is called the sancord ; 

 of the gurnards or Triglidae, Trigla perouii, the grey gurnard, 

 and Trigla capensis, the red gurnard, are of some import- 

 ance. 



Of the Pleuronectidae or flat-fishes the only group well re- 

 presented is that of the soles. Neither our common sole nor 

 any other species known to naturalists as British is found, but 

 there is one species of sole in the strict sense, that is of the 

 genus Solea. It is called Solea bleekeri and lives at moderate 

 depths of about twenty fathoms. The genus Synaptura is dis- 

 tinguished from Solea by the fact that the marginal fins are 

 confluent with the tail-fin instead of being distinct. Of this 

 genus there are three South African species and one of them 

 especially, 6\ peetoralis, was found in the trawling investigations 

 instituted by the Government of Cape Colony to be very 

 abundant on the Agulhas Bank at depths between thirty and 

 forty fathoms. Almost equally plentiful was a species of 

 Cynoglossus which differs from Synaptura in having the eyes 

 on the left side instead of on the right, the fins being confluent 

 as in Synaptura ; the species is called capensis. A species of 

 Achirns resembling the British solenette, and apparently of 

 no more commercial value, occurs ; it differs from Solea in 

 having no pectoral fins. The British scald-fish is represented 

 by a form which is only distinguished by minute specific 

 characters: it has been named Arnoglossus capensis. The 



