)2-i 



FISHES. 



First Fa]\iily — PoarACENTEiD.^^:. 



Body short, compressed , covered with ctenoid scales. Den- 

 titioii feeble ; palate smooth. Tlie latercd line does not extend 

 to the caudal fin, or is i7iterrupted. One dorsal fin, tvith the 

 spinous portion as well developed as the soft, or more. Two, 

 sometimes three, anal sjnnes ; the soft anal similar to the soft 

 dorsal. Ventrcd fins thoracic, with one spine and five soft rays. 

 Gills three and a half ; pseudohranchim and air-hladder pre- 

 sent. Vertehrm, twelve abdominal and fourteen caudal. 



The fishes of this family are marine ; they resemble the 

 Chaitodonts with regard to their mode of hfe, living chiefiy in 

 the neighhourhood of coral formations. Like them they are 

 beautifully coloured, the same patterns being sometimes 

 reproduced in members of both families, proving that the 



Fig. 240. — Dascyllus aniamis. Natural .size, from the Iiulo-Pacific. 



develo]3ment and distribution of colours is due to the agencies 

 of climate, of the surroundings and of the habits of animals. 

 The geographical range of the Pomaecntridm is co-extensive 

 with that of the Chtetodonts, the species being most numer- 

 ous in the Indo-Pacific and Tropical Atlantic, a few extend- 

 ing northwards to the Mediterranean and Japan, southwards 



