Davis—On the Fossil Fishes of the Chalk of Mount Lebanon. 507 
finding it. As Agassiz has not given a figure of the species, and all trace of 
the original has disappeared, it is, perhaps, questionable whether it should still 
be considered as a species from Lebanon. 
Pagellus libanicus, Picrer. 
P. libanicus. Picrrr, J. F., 1850. ‘‘ Desc. de quelques poissons fossiles du Mont 
Liban.,” p. 11, pl. 1, figs. 2, 3. 
P. libanicus. Picrer and Humpert, 1866. ‘‘ Nouv. dese. sur les poiss. fossiles 
du M. Liban.,” p. 50. 
Two specimens are represented in plate 1. of Pictet’s work: they are both 
imperfect. M. Pictet observes that ‘‘the form of the skeleton, the number of 
the vertebre, the disposition of the fins, and the absence of denticulations on 
the opercular bones appears to prove that this species belongs to the family of 
the Sparides. I am less certain that it ought to be placed in the genus Pagellus. 
I have been induced to place it in this group, because one of the specimens, 
I have observed, contains in the region of the mouth, but separated from the 
jaws, some teeth in pavement, too small to belong to the genus Sparoides or 
that of Dorades.” 
This species differs from the one described by Agassiz in the greater robust- 
ness of the skeleton, and the structure of the dorsal fin, which in this species has 
the soft rays longer than the spinous ones, whilst in Pagellus leptosteus, Agassiz, 
the hard rays are longer than the soft ones. 
Formation and Locality.—Soft chalk of Sahel Alma, Mount Lebanon. 
Acanthoplerygu beryciformes, GUNTHER. 
Body compressed, oblong, or elevated; head with large muciform cavities, 
which are covered with a thin skin. Ventral fins thoracic, with one spine and 
more than five soft rays. 
This division is distinguished by Dr. Giinther from the Perciform acanthop- 
terygians by the ventral fins, which in the latter have not more than five soft 
rays in addition to the spinous one, whilst the members of the Beryciform 
acanthopterygians have more than five soft rays. The fossil fishes comprised 
in this division exhibit great diversity of form and constitute some of the 
earliest types of Teleostean fishes. They are represented in the chalk of Lebanon 
by several genera, the most prominent being Beryx, Pseudoberyx, Hoplopteryx, 
and Homonotus. 
