Classijication of Teleosfean Fishes. 201 



inflirectly, by Gill when iiicliiding Bathydupea among his 

 Berycoidea, tliis genus being correctly referred by Alc(^ck to 

 the vicinity of Pemplieris. The hitter author is, however, 

 mistaken in following Giinther in placing Pempheris in the 

 family Kurtidtn, the genus Kurtus bearing no sort of affinity 

 to Pempheris and Buthyclapea, as is well shown by its most 

 remarkable skeleton, to whicli a brief allusion has been made 

 by Valenciennes. The vertebral column of Kurtus indicus 

 consists of 24 vertebrfe ; the ribs of the third and fourth are 

 free and slender, whilst the following are immovably fixed 

 between rings formed by the ossidcation of the outer membrane 

 of tlie elongate air-bladder in a manner unique among fishes ; 

 the first interha3mal is very strong, attached between the 

 fifth and sixth rings of the capsule of the air-bladder, and 

 directed obliquely forwards ; six interneurals support short 

 spines, the first of which is directed forwards. The skull is 

 peculiar for its very strong, denticulate, occipital crest, which 

 ends posteriorly in a curved spine bent forward ; this spine 

 has been incorrectly described by Valenciennes as being 

 supported by the first interneural bone. The suborbitals are 

 slender and do not emit a suborbital lamina. The most 

 remarkable peculiarity in tiie skeleton of Kurtus lies in the 

 absence of the scapula, the coracoid, formed as in a normal 

 Tercid or Scombrid, supporting four small pterygials. The 

 Kurtidte must be regarded as forming an isolated group near 

 the Scombridai, without any close relation to the Berycidse 

 and Pempheridffi. 



I have also examined the skeleton of Monocentris, which 

 has never been described ; and although it shows affinity to 

 the Berycidi\?, it differs considerably from them in the total 

 absence of ribs on any of the vertebrse anterior to the seventh, 

 which character, together with the bony armour of the body 

 and the reduced number (2 or H) of soft rays in the ventral 

 fin, fully justifies the family ]\Ionoccntrida; j)roposed by Gill. 



tStephanoberyx, Gill, and its close ally Malacosarcus^ Gtlir., 

 have abdominal ventral fins, with 5 rays, no sjjines to the 

 fins, and, as 1 have ascertained in a specimen of Stephano^ 

 heryx Moncey an open duct to the air-bladder. I therefore 

 reter the Stephanoberycidaj to the Haplomi, to the definition 

 of which they perfectly answer. 



The numbers of vertebra in the Berycidai and allied 

 families, of which the skeleton has been examined, are as 

 follows : — 



