FAMILY CHETODONTID^ — EPHIPPUS. 97 



waters north of the Cape, but with no evident success, the water proving too cold to enable 

 them to breed there. 



Of the sixth Family Menid^, I find no representative on the coast of New-York. One 

 occurs on the southern coast, the Gerris aprion, or Shad of Catesby, 



FAMILY VII. CHETOBONTIDjE. 



Body compressed, scaly. The dorsal and anal fins thickly covered with scales, especially 

 on their soft portions. Teeth bristly or trenchant. Palatines smooth, or furnished with 

 teeth. Preopercle occasionally spinous. Dorsals two, or one only. 



Obs. This family was established by Cuvier upon the genus Chetodon of Linneus, to 

 which he added other genera with teeth of a different kind, but which had the other characters 

 of scaly fins and a compressed body in common with that genus. The members of this 

 family are almost exclusively confined to the seas of the torrid zone. Cuvier and Valen- 

 ciennes describe one hundred and fifty species, included under eighteen genera. On the coast 

 of New- York, I know of but one genus. I have annexed the description of another, which 

 may possibly be found on our shores. 



GENUS EPHIPPUS. Cuvier. 



Dorsal deeply emarginate between the spinous and soft rays ; the spinous part, which has no 

 scales, can be folded into a groove formed by the scales of the back. 



THE BANDED EPHIPPUS. 



Epbippds faber. 



PLATE XXIII. FIG. 68. — (CABINET OF THE LYCEUM.) 



Faber marima. Sloane, Hist. Jam. Vol. 2, p. 251, fig. 4. 



Cloudy Chetodm (C. oviformU). Mitch. Lit. and Phil. Soc. pi. 5, fig. 4 ; Am. Month. Mag. Vol. 2, p. 247. 



L'Ephippeforgeron, E. faber. Cdv. et Val. Hist, des Poiss. Vol. 7, p. 113. 



Characteristics. With six dark vertical bands over the body. Dorsal and abdominal outlines 

 symmetrical. Length five to eighteen inches. 



Description. Form regularly oval. Its height to its total length as four to seven. Scales 

 moderate, rounded, the exposed portion radiately striate, with the edges finely denticulate, 

 covering the whole head and body, except the region immediately round the nostrils ; they 

 ascend for more than two-thirds of the distance along the fins. Sixty-five were counted 

 between the gills and tail, and forty-eight between the back and abdomen. Lateral line nearly 

 concurrent with the back. Eyes large, 0.4 in diameter. Nostrils double; the posterior 

 oblong, oblique, near the edge of the orbit ; the anterior smallest, round and tubular. Mouth 



Favna — Part 4. 13 



