696 



ICHTHYOLOGY. 



tral fins. We are disposed to consider this genus as 

 Ffch. consistin g> at present, of four species. The L. argen- 

 >^^ Y _^ tens of Gouan, termed Gouanianus by La Cepede L. 

 tetradens, the Ziphotheca tetradens of Montagu, and the 

 Vandellius argenteus, caudafurcata of Shaw. L. Pe- 

 ronii and L. pellucidus of Risso. 



GENUS LVIIL HrATULA. 



No anal fin. 



The H. Gardeniana of La Cepede, and the only 

 known species, is the Labrus hiatula of Linnaeus. It 

 was observed by Dr Garden in South Carolina. 



GENUS LIX. CEPOLA. Band-Fish. 



Baml-fish. An anal fin ; more than one ray in each ventral fin ; 

 body long and blade-shaped ; belly scarcely the length 

 of the head. 



_This genus was first characterised by Bloch. It con- 

 tains three species, whose specific differences are far 

 from being distinctly marked. The C. tenea and ru- 

 bescens (whose trivial name La Cepede, with his usual 

 fondness for innovation, has changed into serpenten- 

 formis,) are found in the Mediterranean, while the 

 third species, trachyptera, has been hitherto observed 

 only in the Adriatic gulf. 



GENUS LX. T.SNIOIDES. 



An anal fin ; pectoral fins disc-shaped ; body long, 

 blade-shaped ; belly scarcely the length of the head : 

 eyes indistinct ; no caudal fin. 



The genus contains one species, the T. Hermann!!, 

 of whose habits or station nothing is at present known. 

 The trivial name which La Cepede has bestowed upon 

 it, is in honour of Professor Hermann of Strasburgh. 

 The eyes are so very small that they can scarcely be 

 distinguished. They appear like black points. 



GENUS LXI. GOBIUS. Goby. 



Goby. Ventral fins united ; two dorsal fins. 



La Cepede distributes the twenty-two species of 

 which the genus consists into two sections, from cir- 

 cumstances connected with the attachment of the pec- 

 toral fins. All the species are diminutive in point of 

 size, and have failed to attract the notice of the epicure. 

 A few species, however, are used as food. The G. Ian* 

 veolatus is said to have a very pleasant taste. It lives in 

 the rivers and streams in Martinique. 



GENUS LXII. GOBIOIDES. 



Ventral fins united ; one dorsal fin ; head small ; the 

 gill-lid attached nearly throughout its margin. 



La Cepede has constructed this genus from species 

 which formerly belonged to the genus gobius. The 

 first species which he describes is the gobius anguilla- 

 ris of Gmelin, a native of the Equatorial seas. 



GENUS LXIII. GOBIOMORUS. 



Ventral fins distinct ; two dorsal fins ; head small, 

 eyes approaching ; gill-lid attached nearly throughout 

 its margin. 



The genus contains four species. The first has been 

 long known to naturalists, and is the Gobius gronovii 

 of Gmelin. 



GENUS LXIV. GOBIOMOUOIDES. 



Ventral fins distinct; one dorsal fin; head small; 

 the gill-lid attached nearly throughout its margin. 

 The Gobius Pisonis of Gmelin is the only known 



species of the genus. It was first described by Piso in 

 his Natural History of Brasil. 



GENUS LXV. GOBIESOX. 



Ventral fins distinct ; one dorsal fin, short, and placed 

 on the tail near the caudal fin ; head larger than the 

 body. 



The G. cephalus, of which the genus consists, is a 

 native of the American rivers, and was first described 

 by Plumier. 



GENUS LXVI. SCOMBEH. Mackrcl. 



Two dorsal fins ; spurious fins in front of the tail Mackrei. 

 above and below ; sides of the tail carinated on the ends 

 of the lateral line. 



This important genus contains fourteen species, two 

 of which are natives of our seas. Many of the species 

 exhibit the greatest variety and beauty of colour, and 

 almost all furnish wholesome food. The flesh of the com- 

 mon mackrel is somewhat greasy ; and from it the Ro- 

 mans expressed a garum or pickle, which was esteemed 

 not only as an agreeable seasoning, but as a valuable 

 medicine. 



The Scomber germo of La Cepede, which is found in 

 great abundance in the Pacific ocean, proves extremely 

 palatable and wholesome to sailors. Commerson ob- 

 served that the shoals of this species did not approach 

 indiscriminately all the vessels of the fleet, but chiefly 

 those which had been long at sea, and whose bottoms 

 were foul. The same observer supposes that fishes of- 

 ten approach ships in the equatorial seas, enticed by 

 their shadow in the water, which screens them from 

 the direct influence of the sun beams. 



GtNUS LXVII. SCOMBEROIDES. 



One dorsal fin, with spines in front ; spurious fins 

 above and below in front of the caudal fin. 



La Cepede, who formed this genus, has described 

 three species. The S. Noelii has ten spurious fins 

 above, and fourteen beneath. The S. Commersonianus 

 has twelve spurious fins above and beneath, while the 

 S. saltator has only seven above and eight beneath. 

 The second species is from the shores of Madagascar; 

 but the habitation of the others is unknown. 



GENUS LXVIII. CARANX. Scad. 



Two dorsal fins ; no spurious fins ; sides of the tail Scad, 

 earinated. 



This was instituted by Commerson, and so named 

 from r.x^x, caput, in reference to the size, the power, 

 and the lustre of that part of the body, and the domi- 

 nion exercised by the species of this genus over their 

 weaker neighbours. The genus contains twenty spe- 

 cies, which La Cepede has distributed into two sec- 

 tions. In the first are placed those which have no 

 spines between the dorsal fins ; and in the second, such 

 as are furnished with spines in that place. Many of 

 the species are from the Red sea, and present few par- 

 ticulars worthy of being mentioned. 



GENUS LXIX. TRACHINOTUS. 



Two dorsal fins, with spines concealed in the front 

 of these under the skin. 



This genus was formed by La Cepede from r(*x,nttf, 

 asper, in reference to its dorsal spines. It contains only 

 one species, the T. falcatus, first described by Forskael 

 in his Fauna Arabica. Commerson likewise observed 

 it on the shores of Madagascar. 



