On the Classification <f lh ' I Fishes. Ill 



brighter coloured than the back. A bright yellow streak 

 behind each ear and a conspicuous bright yellow Btripe 

 running internally down the Eronl of the thigh to the h 

 Anterior surface of leg-i covered to the digits with hairs 

 speckled yellow and black. 



Loe. Peru. 



One Bpecimen (type) presented to the Zoo! >gical Society 

 by Mr. B. Chavez, who brought it from the "Amazons." 

 A second procured by Mr. A. B. Pratt on the Marona River, 

 Peru. 



In Afyoprocta acoucfty, Linn., from Guiana, the hairs are 

 Bpeckled with rich rusty yellow, and many of those on 

 the hind-quarters are wholly black, the underside is rusty 

 orange all over, and the Erontsofthe legs are almost the same 

 colour as the belly and unspeckled. 



XV TI. — The Classification of the Percoid Fishes. 

 By C. Tate Regan, M.A. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The large and varied order Percomorphi occupies a central 

 position among the Teleostean fishes. On the one hand it 

 appears to be derived from the Berycomorphi, and on the 

 other it seems to have given rise to a number of specialized 

 offshoots, which may he regarded as ordinally distinct : 

 Seleroparei. I leterosomata, Plectognathi. Discocephali, Xeno- 

 pterygii, Pediculati, Symbranchii, and Opisthomi. 



The Percomorphi may be thus defined : — 



"Symmetrical acanthopterous physoclists with normal 

 dorsal I'm, pelvic lins never more than 6-rayed, Bubabdo- 

 initial, thoracic, jugular, or mental in position, the pelvic 

 bones typically attached to the: cleithra : principal caudal 

 rays not more than 17. No orbitosphenoid. Second sub- 

 orbital not forming a stay for the praeoperculum. Post- 

 tcnij oral more or less distinctly forked." 



At present i am inclined to recognize thirteen suborders, 

 viz. Percoidea, Trichiuroidea, Scombroidea, Siganoidea, Teu- 

 thidoidea, Kurtoidea, Gobioidca, Blennioidea, St ion 

 oidea, Anabantoidea, Mugiloidea, Polynemoidi But it is 

 largely a matter of opinion whether sonic of these may not 

 be regarded as ordiually distinct, or whether (tiers should 

 not rank merely as divisions of the Pen-, idea. 



1 have already dealt with the Trichiuroidea, Scombroidea, 



