OPHIDIUM.] PISCES (OSSEI) MALACOPT. 481 



stance which has led to some little confusion amongst naturalists, in their 

 attempts to identify his fish. There can be little doubt, however, that in 

 all the above instances, the same species has been observed. At the 

 same time it may be added, that several others have been detected in 

 warmer latitudes, though I am not aware that their essential and distin- 

 guishing characters have been hitherto established. 



GEN. 64. OPHIDIUM, Linn. 



(33.) 0. barbatum, Linn. Syst. Nat. torn. i. p. 431. Bloch, Ichth. 

 pi. 159. f. 1. Berkenh. Syn. vol. i. p. 66. Turt. Brit. Faun, 

 p. 88. Donzelle commune, Cuv. Reg. An. torn. n. p. 359. 



Two pair of small barbules attached to the extremity of the hyoid bone, 

 the anterior pair shorter than the other. Flesh-colour ; the dorsal and 

 anal fins edged with black. Length from eight to ten inches*. Cuv. 



Introduced into the British Fauna by Berkenhout, but without the 

 mention of any authority for its insertion. Must, in consequence, be con- 

 sidered as a very doubtful native. Found in the Mediterranean, along 

 with another closely allied species. 



169. O. imberbe, Mont. (Beardless Ophidium.) 

 Lower jaw without barbules. 



O. imberbe, Mont, in Wern. Mem. vol. i. p. 95. pi. 4. f. 2. Flem. 

 Brit. An. p. 201. Beardless Ophidium, Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. in. 

 App. p. 398. and vol. iv. pi. 93. ? Id. (Edit. 1812.) vol. m. p. 208. 

 pi. 29. 



LENGTH. About three inches. MONT. 



DE SCRIPT. (Form.) Body ensiform, considerably compressed towards 

 the tail, and in shape not unlike Cepola rubescens: depth about one- 

 twelfth of the entire length : head very obtuse, rounded in front: mouth, 

 when closed, inclining obliquely upwards ; lips marginated : eyes large, 

 placed forward, and lateral : gill-membranes inflated beneath : lateral 

 line nearly in the middle, arising at the angle of the gill-cover, but rather 

 obscure : vent nearly in the middle : pectorals rounded : dorsal com- 

 mencing immediately above the base of the pectoral, at first not so 

 broad, and usually not so erect, as the other part: anal commencing 

 at the vent, and, together with the dorsal, uniting with the caudal 

 fin, which is cuneiform, but obtusely pointed: 



D. about 77 ; A. 44 ; C. 18 or 20 ; P. 11. 



(Colours.) Purplish brown, disposed in minute speckles; along the base 4 

 of the anal fin about ten small bluish white spots, regularly placed, but 

 scarcely discernible without a lens, and possibly peculiar to young spe- 

 cimens : all the fins of the same colour as the body, except the pectoral 

 and caudal ; the first of which is pale, the last yellowish : irides dark, 

 with a circle of silver round the pupil. MONT. 



The above fish was obtained on the south coast of Devon by Montagu, 

 who considered it as the Ophidium imberbe of Linnaeus. Cuvier, how- 

 ever, appears to have entertained some doubts as to its identity with that 

 species t. Whether it be the same as the Beardless Ophidium of Pen- 

 nant, which was sent to that naturalist from Weymouth by the late 



* Cuvier says "eight or ten inches at the most," but Bloch, "from twelve to fourteen inches." 

 -f See Reg. An. torn. n. p. 359. note (2). 



HH 



