Mr. J. Y. Johnson on new Fishetfrom Madeira. 7i 



scales. Abdomen prominent and keeled. Mouth large, non-pro- 

 tractile ; minute pointed teeth in the jaws, none on the palate ; a pair 

 of large tooth-like bony processes projecting from the anterior ends 

 of the maxillaries, and entering the mouth between the vomer and 

 the premaxillariea. Head, opercular pieces, and mandibular bones 

 bearing numerous thin bony crests. Eyes large. A single dorsal 

 fln commencing about the middle of the body over against the anal 

 fin, both being continuous. Perfect thoracic ventral fins, with a free 

 bony appendage at the upper angle of their roots. Pseudobranchia 

 present. Branchiostegal membrane with seren rays. No lateral line. 



The small but highly interesting fish upon which this new genas 

 has been established appears to be allied to fishes belonging to genera 

 some of which have been placed by Dr. Gunther amongst the Seowt- 

 bridee, others amongst the Carangida — families distinguished by him 

 on account of differences in the number of the Tertebrs. 1 hare 

 been unwilling to open the single specimen obtained with a view to 

 the determination of this point, but place the genus provisionally 

 amongst the Carangida on account of its many resemblances to An- 

 tigonia. It may be entered in the synopsis of the genera of that 

 family (Cat. Brit. Mus. Coll. p. 418), in sect. /3 of the first group, 

 Carangina, thus : — 



Ventrals with a free bonj appendage. 



These appendages, the tooth-like processes of the maxillaries, and 

 the crests about the bead present an assemblage of characters quite 

 sufficient to separate this form distinctly from all other known 

 Acanthopterjg^ genera. 



DiRJCTliVS ARGKNTSU8, Sp. n. 



D. 27. A. 22. P. 18. V. lOT C. 19. M.B.7. 



The body is much compressed, and so elevated that without the 

 tail and its' fin it is subcircular. The height to the total length is 

 about 1 to If . The abdomen is prominent and keeled, and the nape 

 is trenchant. It is of a silvery-grey colour, with darker grey near 

 the dorsal and anal fins. The skin, when the scales are removed, 

 is fuscous. The whole body is clothed with small, somewhat deci- 

 duous scales, having four or five broad teeth at the edge and some 

 minute spines on the exposed surface. Each scale is constricted at 

 the middle ; the posterior portion is rather larger than the anterior, 

 and marked with curved transverse striae. The head is large, being 

 contained in the total length only about 2f times. It is remarkable 

 for the numerous crests of thin bone, many of which are minutelj 

 denticulated. The cheeks are scaly ; but the opercle and maxillary 

 are without scales. The eye is round and large, its diameter com- 



Eared with the length of the head being as 1 to 2^. It is placed 

 igh up, a diameter and a half above the throat, but does not quite 

 reach to the profile, and a space equal to less than half the diameter 

 intervenes between it and the muzzle. A thin bony crest is placed 

 behind it, and another in front of it, the latter forming a funnel- 

 shaped cavity below the rather large nostril. Between the eyes there 

 are three low crests without serratures, the middle one of which di- 



