of the Selene Argentea of Lacepede. 33 



Agassiz says of Spix's specimens that "several, of various sizes," 

 are preserved at Munich. This would seem to indicate that the 

 Selene and A. vomer are there confounded under this latter 

 name. The little A. vomer, I believe, is never found over three 

 inches long, while the Selene is usually double that length. 



The following extract from Agassiz's description at page 109 

 of the work in question, will prove that he was describing the 

 Selene. Among the generic characters of the species, he says : 

 " Pinna dorsales duoz ; anterior radiis aculeatis gracilibus breviori- 

 bus paucioribus ; posterior mollis longa, RADIO TERTIO SIMPLICI 

 MAXIME PRODUCTO. . . . PlNN^E VENTRALES MINIMA, ACUTIS- 



sim^e ;" &c. Among the specific characters are the following: 

 " Pinnoz dorsales duoz • anterior minima acideata, radio primo et 

 posterioribus brevissimis ; posterior mollis radiis pluribus ejusdem fere 

 longitudinis prater TERTIUM simplicem LONGISSIMUM, quirecli- 

 natus ultra pinnam caudalem extenditur, quartus et quintus sequen- 

 tibus etiam longiores. . . . Pinnae VENTRALES RADIIS TENUISSI- 

 mis, acuminata ;" &c. None of these characters are applicable 

 to Argyreiosus vomer as described by previous authors and by 

 Cuvier, but correspond accurately with Schopfs description and 

 Plumier's figure. As for the figure in this work, it appears to 

 have been taken from a preserved specimen, for the body is not 

 as high as it ought to be, the dorsal spines are too short, and 

 the anal spines are wanting. The ventrals are represented 

 as tapering to a fine point, which is not the case in the speci- 

 mens which I have examined. Otherwise the figure is very 

 accurate. 



Now let the following comparison be instituted, and the dif- 

 ferences between Selene argentea and A. vomer will be evident. 

 Compare LacepMe's figure in Tom. iv. pi. 9, fig. 2, Spix's in the 

 Selecta Genera, plate 58, and mine at plate 4, Vol. v. of these 

 Annals, all representing the Selene, with those of various au- 

 thors who have represented the Argyreiosus vomer, such as 

 Linnazus in the Museum Adolphi Friderici, &c., tab. 31, fig. 9 ; 



MAV, 1853. 3 Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. Vol. VI. 



