190 Messrs. Hancock & Attliey on Dipterus «nc? Ctenodus, 



XXIII. — A feio Remarks on Dipterus and Ctcnodus, and 

 on their llelationship to Ceratodus Forstcri, Krefft. By 

 Albany Hancock, F.L.S., and Thomas Attiiey. 



[Plates XIII. & XIV.] 



In our paper on Ctenodus^ published in the ' Annals ' in Feb- 

 ruary 1868*, while recognizing the close connexion between 

 this genus and D{j)teruSj we deemed it prudent to keep the 

 two forms asunder, for certain reasons therein expressed ; and 

 the time that has elapsed since then has only tended to con- 

 firm us in this opinion. Among other characters that in- 

 fluenced us, stress was laid on the differences in the scales in 

 the two genera ; and allusion was made to the fact that the 

 Dijyteri are all small fishes, and that the Ctenodi, on the con- 

 trary are, with one exception, all of considerable size. 



In the paper alluded to, seven species were described, six of 

 which were new. Three of the seven (namely, C. cristatHs^ G. 

 tuherctilaMs, and C.corrugatus) cannot have been less than five or 

 six feet in length. We originally estimated the length at four 

 or five feet ; but as larger specimens have since come to hand, 

 we now think that that estimate was too low. Three others 

 (namely, C. ohliquus, G. imljricatus^ and G. eUipticus) were pro- 

 bably upwards of three feet long. C. eJegans is quite small. 

 The latter is the only species of which an entire specimen has 

 occurred ; and though much crushed and disturbed, its dimen- 

 sions can be determined with sufficient accuracy : it measures 

 only three inches in length, but, judging from the size of de- 

 tached dental plates, it jn'obably reaches sometimes nearly 

 twice that length. The Bipteri are usually about five or six 

 inches long, and apparently never much exceed that length. 



The scales are very diff"crent in the two forms. While in 

 Dipterus they are circular and truly cycloidal, in Gtenodus they 

 (PI. XIII. fig. 3) are elongated and parallelogrammatic, with 

 the posterior end well rounded, and the sides nearly parallel 

 or a little hollowed or concave ; they are in length nearly 

 twice their width, and, though imbricated, can scarcely be 

 called truly cycloidal : they are delicate and large for the size 

 of the fish, and are longitudinally ridged or grooved ; the 

 ridges, becoming curved and nodose, form a sort of rosette in 

 the centre of the exposed imbricated portion. This is very 

 different from the ornamentation of the scales of Dipterxis^ 

 which are either irregularly tuberculated, the tubercles being 



* "Notes on A-arious Species of Ctenodus from the Northumberland 

 Coal-Field," Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 4. vol, i. p. 77. 



