DISTRIBUTION AND LOCATION 279 



genus Pleuronectes, including our valuable plaice, dab, flounder, 

 ^mon-sole, etc., is entirely absent, and the turbot and halibut 

 groups are also unrepresented. 



Grey mullets (Fam. Mugil idae) are very numerous in South 

 Africa both in species and in individuals. They are known for 

 the most part in Dutch as harder, but Mugil multilineatus is 

 called the springer, doubtless from its leaping habits. As in 

 Europe, most of the species are estuarine, but many ascend into 

 fresh water, and Mugil constantice appears to be confined to 

 fresh water. 



The Trichiuridae or hair-tails are represented, as in New 

 Zealand, by Thyrsites atiin, the snoek, and Lepidopus caudatus, 

 called in Cape Dutch the kalk-visch ; the former is large, 

 abundant, and of great importance as a food-fish. 



Of Carangidae there are several species. One of the most 

 abundant is Caranx trachurus, the horse-mackerel, which is 

 common in British waters. Its local name is maasbanker. 

 Although not marketable in England it is eaten at the Cape. 

 Seriola lalandii, another species of the family known as the 

 albacore or geelstaart (yellow-tail), is also caught for food in 

 large numbers. Temnodon saltator, called the elft, is another 

 species of this family which is common ; it occurs on both sides 

 of the Atlantic. 



It has been stated that the European mackerel, Scomber 

 scombrus, occurs at the Cape, but there is no satisfactory evidence 

 of its presence to the south of the Equator. The closely-allied 

 species, Scomber colias, which occurs on the coast of America 

 and at St. Helena, differing from the English mackerel by the 

 possession of an air-bladder, is very abundant. Species of 

 Cybium, known in the United States as Spanish mackerel, are 

 common, and several species of tunny or albacore occasionally 

 approach the coast, namely Thynnus pelamys, the bonito, locally 

 known as the katunker, Thynnus aiatonga, the long-finned 

 tunny, and Pelamys sarda, the pelamid. 



The occurrence of Coryphcenii (two species) is not surprising, 

 as these fishes belong to the whole of the tropical and sub- 

 tropical Atlantic. 



A species of John dory, Zeus capensis, very similar to the 

 European form is common. 



India, — On the coasts of India the two chief species of 



