PISCES. 131 



Cichla BL., SCHN. (excl. of some species). Maxillary teeth 

 small, thin, crowded, forming a broad band, with no front row of 

 larger teeth. Body oblong. Scales small. Lateral line abruptly 

 deflected, or interrupted. 



a) With prseoperculum entire. Cichla HECK. Habitus of Perca. 



Sp. Cichla brasiliensis, Perca Irasiliensis, BLOCH Ichtk. Tab. 310, fig. i, &c. 



b) With praeoperculum denticulate. Crenicichla HECK. Habitus of Esox. 



Sp. CicJda saxatilis, Sparus saxatilis L., GRONOV. Mus. Ichth. 2, p. 29, ibid, 

 and Zoophl. Tab. VI. fig. 8 ; a brown stripe behind the eye above the 

 operculum, and a black oval spot bordered with white in front of the 

 caudal fin ; from Surinam. 



Family XXIX. Pomacentrini. Inferior pharyngeal bone un- 

 paired, without longitudinal suture, with teeth conical or subulate, 

 acute. Dorsal fin single. Ventral fins placed under pectorals. 

 Scales large, ctenoid. Rays of branchiostegous membrane 4 6. 

 Pseudobranchise. Lateral line convex, ending at the termination of 

 dorsal fin. 



This family, which contains marine fishes alone, whilst the pre- 

 ceding consists of river-fishes, is also distinguished by the absence 

 of lips or folds of skin around the jaws. CUVIER referred the 

 genera belonging to it to the Scicenoids ; HECKEL first pointed out 

 their affinity with the Labroids, Ann. des Wiener Museums, n. p. 330. 

 By far the greatest number of species belong to the Indian seas. 

 Comp. H. SCHLEGEL and S. MUELLER in Verhandelingen over de 

 Natuurlijke GescMedenis der Nederlandsclie Overzeesche Bezittingen; 

 Vischen, 1.1. 17 25. 



Most of the species are striped with broad bands across the body, of 

 a white or darker colour, strongly contrasting with the ground-colour, 

 which in the first case is blackish, in the other white. They are all 

 small, or only of moderate size. 



i) Several rows of m<ixillary teeth. 



Heliases Cuv. Teeth thin, conical, those of front row larger 

 than the rest. Body compressed, broad. Prseoperculum with 

 margin entire. Branchiostegous membrane with five rays. Ventral 

 fins acuminate. Caudal fin forked. 



Sp. Helioses insolatus Cuv. et VAL. Poiss. v. PL 137, from the Antilles, one 

 of the few species of this family from the W. Hemisphere; Heliaces 

 cinerascens Cuv. et VAL., SCHLEG. and S. MUELLER 1. 1. PI. 6, fig. 5, from 

 Java, &c. 



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