PISCES. 183 



fins abdominal, with a strong spine, and one, sometimes two short, 

 soft rays. Bones of pelvis large, forming an abdominal sternum. 



Sp. Gasterosteus Spinachia L., BLOCH IcJith. Tab. 53, fig. i, Skandinaviens 

 Fiskar. Tab. 4, fig. 3; the sea stickleback ; 14 or 15 free spinous rays on 

 the back ; the head long, body much elongated ; becomes 5" or 6" long ; 

 occurs in the N. Sea, YABRELL Brit. Fish. i. p. 87. 



Gasterosteus pungitius L., BLOCH Ichth. Tab. 53, fig. 4, Skandinaviens 

 Fiskar. Tab. 4, fig. 2 ; the stickleback, our smallest fresh-water fish, is not 

 more than 2|" long, and has from 8 to 10 spines on the back. Another spe- 

 cies, which is somewhat larger, has only 3 spines on the back : Gasterosteus 

 aculeatus L. Skandinav. Fisk. Tab. 4, fig. i, a, b. In this species there 

 are bony plates at the sides which in Gast. pungitius are wanting; they 

 extend more or less backwards over the tail, in which respect transitions 

 are observed, which render the establishment of two species (Gasterosteus 

 trachurus and leiurus Cuv.) less acceptable. 



Monocentris BL., SCHN. (Lepisacanthus LACEP.). Teeth short, 

 thin, crowded in jaws and in palate-bones, none in vomer. Bran- 

 chiostegous membrane with eight rays. Body short, compressed, 

 with scales large, hard, carinate, rough. Pungent rays thick in 

 back. Ventral fins with a very strong spine, and three very small 

 soft rays. 



Sp. Monocentris carinata BL., SCHN., Gasterosteus japonicus HOUTTUYN, 

 Verh. van de Maatsch. der Wetensch. te Haarlem, xx. se Stuk, biz. 329, 

 330, Scicena cataphracta THUNB., BLOCH, SCHN. Syst. Ichth. Tab. 24 (fig. 

 of THUNBEBG), GUEBIN Iconogr., Poiss. PI. 16, fig. i, SCHLEGEL Faun. 

 Japon., Pise. Tab. 22, fig. i; from the Japan Sea; this species is eaten 

 by the Japanese and is common with them, although it is only rarely 

 found in European collections; it attains a length of only 5". 



Phalanx II. Dorsal fin single,. Ventral fins thoracic. (Genus 

 Scorpcena L.) 



Synanceia BL., SCHN. Body scaleless, often warty. Head 

 cavernous, tuberculate, mostly large. Eyes approximate in vertex. 

 Teeth crowded, thin in jaws; vomer mostly edentulous, sometimes 

 furnished with teeth (Synancidium MUELL.). Branchiostegous 

 membrane with seven rays. Pectoral fins ample, with all the rays 

 cloven at the point. (Branchiae three and a half.) 



Sp. Synanceia horrida Cuv., Scorpcena horrida L., GBONOV. Zoophylac. 

 Tab. i r 13, LAC. Poiss. n. PI. 17, fig. 2, from the Indian Ocean, becomes 

 about 8 or 9" long; Synanceia brachio Cuv., LAC. Poiss. ill. PI. 12, fig. 

 i, BLOCH Syst. Ichth. Tab. 45, Cuv. R. Ani., 6d. ill., Poiss. PI. 25, fig. 3; 

 also from the Indian Ocean, from the Arabian gulph and the island of 



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