Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 2807 



Page 411. 199. Genus ALBULA, Block & Schneider. 



The proper binomial authority for this generic name, as well as for the 

 names Synodus, Umbra, and Anableps, is Scopoli, as Dr. Gill informs us. 

 These pre-Linna^an names, with others, were first used in binomial nomen- 

 clature as names of genera by Scopoli, Iiitrod. His. Nat. 1777, pp. 449 

 (Synodus) and 450 (Albula, Umbra, Anableps}. The genera should then 

 stand as follows : 



Page 411. 199- ALBULA (Gronow) Scopoli. 



Page 533. 248. SYNODUS (Gronow) Scopoli. 



Page 623. 298. UMBRA (Kramer) Scopoli. 



Page 684. 312. ANABLEPS (Artedi) Scopoli. 



Page 414. To the description of Chanos chanos the following may be 

 added : 



The skeletal peculiarities of Chanos are numerous and remarkable, 

 many archaic characters persisting. The following account of the skele- 

 ton has been prepared by Mr. Starks : 



SKELETON OF CHANOS CHANOS. 



a. Cranium : 



The frontals are very large, covering nearly the whole top of the head, 

 and extending over the dorsoanterior part of the parietals, supraoccipi- 

 tal and the parotic process. On the side of the skull there is an area 

 bounded by the supraoccipital, the opisthotic and the sphenotic, which 

 is not ossified, but is composed of cartilage. Between the frontals, at 

 about their middle, there is a place in which the bone is fibrous and 

 largely cartilaginous; it is easily broken through. The basal cavity 

 under the brain cavity is large. On the upper part of the operculuin is a 

 large scale-like bone. The suborbitals are well developed and plate-like, 

 extending back nearly to the posterior edge of the preopercle. 



6. Vertebral column : 



There are 42 vertebrae in the spinal column. The first vertebra is co- 

 ossified to the skull, and apparently bears no ribs ; the second vertebra 

 supports a pair of very small, slender ribs, which articulate directly with 

 the sides of the vertebra; the third vertebra supports the first pair of 

 large ribs; they are articulated with the transverse processes. The first 

 14 or 15 neural spines and pairs of transverse processes are articulated 

 with the vertebrae by sutures; they are easily separated from the verte- 

 brae by boiling or maceration. The vertebrae gradually increase in size 

 and reach their largest size about of the distance from the anterio'r to 

 the posterior end of the spinal column, where they are 3 or 4 times the 

 size of the anterior ones. This character is more marked in the adult 

 than in the young. 



