ASTERODERMUS ATELES. 



ASTERODERMUS starry-skin. A genus of 

 spinous-finned fishes, belonging to the natural family 

 of the Coryphenet, which are surface fishes in the 

 warmer seas, but strictly pelagic, driving about with 

 great rapidity, and most dexterous in the capture of 

 smaller fishes. The coryplienc, properly so called, is 

 understood to have been the dolphin of the ancients ; 

 and it is still called the dolphin by the Dutch, though 

 the true dolphin of modern times is not a fish, but a 

 warm-blooded animal which suckles its young. 



The asterodermus has the long dorsal fin of the 

 coryphene, extending nearly from the occiput to the 

 tail ; the head also is ridged, but the gape is not pro- 

 portionally so deep ; the ventral fins are shorter, and 

 placed under the throat, and there are only four rays 

 in the gill-flaps, while those of the coryphene have 

 seven. The scales are scattered thinly over the body, 

 and are of a rayed form, like little stars, whence the 

 name. 



There is only one known species, an inhabitant of 

 the Mediterranean. It grows to a considerable size, 

 and is of a silvery colour, with black spots, and red 

 fins, the dorsal fin being very high. It is the Astero- 

 dermus guttatus (" dropped" in allusion to the black 

 spots) of Bonnelli, and the Diana semilunata of Risso. 



ASTRANTHUS (Loudon). A single shrubby 

 plant, found in Cochin China. Linnaean class and 

 order, Heptandria Tetragynia; natural order, Homa- 

 Imeae. Generic character: calyx with a short tube, 

 limb from ten to fourteen cleft, segments alternately 

 less ; stamen?, ten or more ; anthers round ; style like 

 a hair ; caryopsis included in the tube of the calyx. 



ASTRAP^EUS (Gravenhorst). An interesting 

 genus of coleopterous insects, belonging to the sec- 

 tion Brachelytra (Staphylinus, Linnaeus), and sub- 

 family Stapkylinides, and distinguished from every 

 other genus in that large group by the four palpi, 

 which are terminated by a hatchet-shaped joint ; the 

 tarsi arevery much dilated. The species reside beneath 

 the bark of trees. The only British species, Astra- 

 pceus rufipennis of Leach, is extremely rare in Eng- 

 land, one specimen only having occurred at Coombe 

 Wood, in Surrey, and one in Devonshire. 



ASTRAP#:A (Lindley). A genus of three 

 species of l6fty trees, introduced from Madagascar. 

 Linnaean class and order, Monodelphia Dodccandria ; 

 natural order, Byttnerieccee. Generic character : 

 flowers umbelled, involucred ; involucres imbricated, 

 many leaved, the interior leaflet rather less ; calyx 

 bracteated, lance-like, sustained, membranaceous, 

 five-sepaled, erect ; corolla five-petaled, convolute ; 

 stamens united to the tube ; anthers oblong, erect, 

 bifid at the base, five of them sterile ; style like a 

 thread ; stigmas five ; capsule five-celled, each with 

 two seeds. This family of plants are said to be the 

 most beautiful in the world. 



ASTREA (Lamarck). A genus belonging to the 

 class Polypii ; fixed, stony, and incrusting submarine 

 bodies, forming hemispherical or globular masses, 

 which are rarely lobed ; the upper surface crowded 

 with orbicular or subangular Iamella3, or sessile stars. 



1st subdivision, with the stars separated from the 

 base, Astrea radiata, rayed astrea. 2nd. With conti- 

 guous stars, Astrea denticulata, toothed astrea. The 

 first inhabit the American seas, West Indies, &c. ; 

 the second inhabits the Indian seas. See MADREPORE. 



ASTROCARYUM (Meyer). A genus of five 

 species of Brazilian palms. Linnsean class and order, 

 Moncecia Polyandria ; natural order, Palmtz. Ge- 

 neric character : flowers monoecious, in a simple 



spatha ; male flowers on a rachis ; calyx three-cleft ; 

 corolla bell-shaped, three parted ; female flowers 

 within male spikes, solitary ; calyx urn-shaped, edge 

 three-toothed ; corolla bell-shaped, edge three-toothed, 

 double within ; style conical ; stigrna simple ; drupe 

 fibrous, one-seeded ; three pores at the top like a star; 

 albumen hollo w,equally thick ; embryo within the pores. 



Dr. Von Martius, who has described the palms of 

 Brazil, mentions this among others, but nothing very 

 particular that is not referable to others of the tribe. 



ASTROLOMA (R. Brown). A genus of two 

 species of evergreen shrubs from New Holland. 

 Lhaiffian class and order, Pentandria Morwgynia ; 

 natural order, EpacridecE. Generic character : 

 calyx five-cleft, bracteate ; corolla, tube swollen, at 

 the base of the tube a tuft of five hairs ; limb short, 

 spreading, bearded ; stamens included ; disk sur- 

 rounds the germen, concave, entire; drupe pulpy, 

 shell bony, five-seeded. 



ATALANTIA (Correa de Serra). A hothouse 

 evergreen shrub, allied to the lemon tribe. Lin- 

 ntean class and order, Decandria Monvgynia ; na- 

 tural order, Aurantiacece. Generic character : calyx 

 four-toothed, cut at the base ; corolla four-petaled, 

 oval, sitting equal ; stamens inserted on stipiti, in one 

 brotherhood at the base, equal ; anthers oblong, re- 

 curved; pods stipitate, oblong, two-valved ; style 

 persisting on the apex. This plant is called Pcri- 

 toma by Sprengel. 



ATALANTHUS (D. Don). A greenhouse 

 undershrub from Teneriffe ; it was previously known 

 as Prcnanthes plnnata. 



ATELES (unfinished or incomplete, sometimes 

 called " four-fingered monkeys "), a genus of four- 

 handed mammalia, which have received that name on 

 account of the thumbs of the fore feet being in gene- 

 ral concealed under the skin, though there are two 

 species which have very small rudimental ones, con- 

 sisting generally of a single phalanx, and without any 

 nail. They are all natives of America, and form a 

 division of the American monkeys, or, as they are 

 often called, Sapajous. 



The animals of this genus form a tolerably well- 

 marked group, peculiar in their haunts, their appear- 

 ance, and their habits. They inhabit the wooded 

 parts of South America, the interior of Gniana, Brazil, 

 and generally the forests of all the tropical parts of 

 that continent. One need hardly say the unfre- 

 quented forests, for, except a few Indians in the more 

 open places, near the banks of the streams, those fo- 

 rests are all unfrequented by man, and many of them, 

 by their depth and entanglement, to say nothing of the 

 pestilent vapours which arise from them, are impervi- 

 ous to Europeans. It is not, however, in the very luxu- 

 riance of the swampy forests, where the exuberance 

 of nature appears absolutely to run wild, and where, 

 what with the ample foliage of the trees, what with 

 the multitude of curling, climbing, creeping, and other 

 parasitical plants, the vegetable canopy is so dense, 

 that a twilight gloom rests upon the surface of the 

 earth, even with a vertical sun at mid-day, that the 

 animals of this genus are chiefly to be found. Forests 

 of the character just noticed are the proper pastures 

 of the sloths, which remain among tne small twigs, 

 feed on the leaves, and range but little from tree to 

 tree, or even from branch to branch. The Ateles, as 

 is the case with almost all the quadrumana, live chiefly 

 upon fruits ; and that being the case, they must have 

 forests of such a description, as that, while they are 

 below among the branches, they may have openings 



