I 



Mr. F. Day on Tracliinus draco and T. vipera. 351 



XLV. — On Trachinus draco and T. vipera. 

 By Feancis Day, CLE., F.L.S., &c. 



On referring to a few among the many ichthyologists who 

 have written upon these two species of British weever-fishes 

 or Trachinus one cannot help observing some differences of 

 opinion. Willughby and Ray (' Historia Piscium,' 1686) 

 recorded the " viver " or " weever," Draco marinus (p. 288, 

 t. S 10. fig. 1),- which showed D. 5 | 29, and the " otterpike," 

 Draco marinus species altera (p. 289, t. S 10. fig. 2), having 

 D. 6 I 19. Although one was termed the " weever " and the 

 other the " otterpike," names by which the two British forms 

 are to this day distinguisiied by our fishermen, still an error 

 existed in the figures, as was pointed out by De la Roche in 

 the ' Annales du Mus(5um d'Histoire Naturelle,' xiii. 1809. 

 This latter author observed that the first figure in the ' His- 

 toria Piscium ' Avas doubtless Trachinus draco^ but that the 

 second was T. lineatus, Bloch-Schneider, 1801, p. 55, tab. 10. 

 But Cuvier and Valenciennes, in their ' Histoire Naturelle 

 des Poissons,' observed that De la Roche had also been in 

 error respecting this second figure, as it neither represented 

 tJie " otterpike " of Britain nor T. lineatus of Schneider ; in 

 fact it was an unnamed form, so was termed T. radiatus, 

 Cuv. & Val. Thus, although two British forms of this genus 

 were recognized and described by Willughby and Ray, only 

 one was figured. 



Ray (' Synopsis Methodica Piscium,' 1713) gave the 

 " weever," page 91, and the " otterpike," page 92, which last, 

 he observed, he had not seen. Pennant (' British Zoology,' 

 1776) correctly figured and described both forms, the " great 

 weever," page 171, plate xxix., showing D. 4 | 29, and the 

 "common weever," page 169, plate xxviii., with D. 5 | 23 ; 

 but De la Roche erroneously observed they belonged to one 

 species. In Gmelin's ' Linnasus,' 1788, p. 1157, only one 

 species of this genus was recognized, and that under the 

 designation of Trachinus draco. Donovan (' British Fishes ') 

 figured the " lesser weever," and his example had D. 5 | 25 ; 

 but following Gmelin he termed it D. draco, while Turton 

 (' British Fauna,' 1807) appears to have compiled his descrip- 

 tion from Pennant's " common weever " and Donovan's 

 account and figure. Fleming (' History of British Animals,' 

 1828, pp. 213, 2l4) described two forms, T. draco, " common 

 weaver," D. 5 | '15, and T. major, "greater weaver," D. 5 | 32. 

 Cuvier and Valenciennes (' Histoire Naturelle des Poissons,' 

 iii. 1829) had 7'. draco, D. 6 | 30, A. 1 | 31, and T. vipera, 



24* 



