120 



Ctenoid Ao^VNTHOPTEREa.- 



-FISUES.- 



-ArOGONIDS 



Family YIII.— APOGONIDS {Apogonina, Giintlicr). 



Ill the method of Luinious tlie genus Pcrca included 

 a very largo part of all the Acanthoptercs then known, 

 and the group was not, in the condition of the 

 ichtbyulogy of that day, altogether unnatural; but 

 wlien additional species were discovered, and further 

 subdivision became expedient, trenchant characters for 

 the dismemberments could not be found. The Cuvieran 

 families of Percoids and Scirenoids were intended to 

 comprehend Acanthoptercs without prolonged second 

 suborbitars, but having their cranial bones or gill-covers 

 serrated or s]iinous ; and these two families were dis- 

 tinguislied from each other chiefly by the presence or 

 absence of teeth on the roof of the mouth ; though this 

 character cannot be strictly adhered to, as in many 

 species the vomerine teeth, and in some the palatine 

 ones also, are deciduous. Dr. GUnther in bis catalogue 

 of the PercidiB {Pcrcada) in the British Museum, has 

 made the Cuvieran family more nearly co-extensive 

 with the LinnKan one, by scattering the members of 

 the Sciff-noid group among the sub-families of the 

 Pcrcmdce and their allies. In this elementary treatise 

 some of Dr. Glintber's minor groups are treated as 

 separate families. 



The Apogonids are small or moderate-sized sea-fish, 

 a few species only existing in fresh waters. Their 

 scales are generally large and easily deciduous ; their 

 bodies compressed and elevated; their mouths obliquely 

 cleft, approaching to vertical ; and their gill plates 

 toothed or spinous. They have most generally teeth 

 on the palate-bones, and their branchiostegals are 

 generally seven, but sometimes only six. The dorsals 

 are two iu number. 



The gcner.i ase — Ambasais; Iific>'oichihrfs{Riip-pQ]\)-, Apngni; 

 Apoiticht/ii/s (Blecker); Cheilodipterus] iScombrojjs (Schickel); 

 Pomnionius; ViwA Acropoma (Schlegel). 



These fish are of little economical importance. 

 Some species of Amhassis inhabit hot springs. In 

 Pondieherry the Selintiiii (^Ambassis Commcrsonii) is 

 given to sick people as an excellent article of diet. 



Family IX.— THERAPONIDS {T/icraponida). 



Seven branchiostegals is the number of the typical 

 Percoids. The Theraponids have seldom more than 

 six — sometimes onlj' four or five ; but in their general 

 structure and external aspect they have much simi- 

 larity to the common Perch. The scales are often 

 ctenoid, but sometimes cycloid ; the opercular pieces 

 are variously denticulate or spinous, or even unarmed. 

 They have villiform teeth, often mixed with larger 

 ones on the jaws, and villiform teeth also on the 

 |iaktines and vomer, from which they in some cases 

 disappear with age. The dorsals are two, or one only 

 with the fore jiart spinous ; and the thoracic ventrals 

 have one spine and five soft rays. The air-bladder 

 is in some genera contracted in the middle. Distinct 

 pseudobranchia;. No barbels. 



The genera are — Theraponina — T/icrapon ; Ilelotes ; 

 Datnia; Pelales; Macqitaria; Prlacanthus ; LoboU's ; Scolopsis; 

 Ihterognathodon (Bleeker); Dules; Badis (Bleeker); Arlinu 



(fiirard); EstreUa (\k\.); Alcnrdim (iA."); Bo?eosoraa (Dekay) ; 

 nieoma (id.); Lepisnma (id.); Paralabrax (Girard); and 

 PoI//cciitniS (Miiller). 



GitYSTiN.\((jUiitlier) — Ollgorus (^Gunther"); Gri/sres; Romodou 

 or Arrijns (Jenyns); Iluro ; PercUiu (Girard); Pomanotis 

 (Giuclienot); Ceidrnrchvs; Bryttus;Poiitotis;Anoj)his(Sc\i\cgG\')\ 

 and Odontoiiectes (Giintliei-J. 



Both these groups are comprised in Dr. Giinther's 

 family of Prist ipiomidce. 



Many members of the second group, and some of 

 the first, are inhabitants of the fresh waters of North 

 America, Asia, or Australia. They are wholesome 

 eating, but are not objects of special fisheries. The 

 Trout of Carolina is the Grijstcs salmoidcs, which has 

 merely a very distant resemblance to the Salmon. 

 The Soa-tronts of Australian seas belong to the genus 

 Arripis. The Trouts of the Australian rivers are, 

 however, Galaxias of a totally different family. 



Family X.— PERCOIDS (Percccdcc). 



The Common Perch (Pirca fluviatilis) conveys a 

 good notion of the aspect of this family, being the type 

 round which Cuvier grouped the other members. 

 With us the fomily is restricted to a single division of 

 Cuvier's Percoides, namely, to that having seven 

 branchiostegals and five branching rays only, with one 

 spine in the sub-brachiau ventrals. Olher characters 

 of the family are common to allied groups, such as 

 an oblong body; clothed with ctenoid scales; opercular 

 bones variously serrated or spiniferous ; teeth on the 

 vomer and frequently on the palatines, as well as on 

 the jaws; fins always amounting to seven in number, 

 or when there is a separation between the spinous and 

 articulated dorsal, to eight ; a ca?cal stomach ; few and 

 not bulky jiancreatic ca?ca ; no barbels, except in one 

 or two instances; and no extension of the second sub- 

 orbitar across the cheek, as in the Pclerogenids. The 

 skeleton is fimi and hard, but is destitute of true bony 

 corpuscles. 



Some of the genera have two dorsals or a deep notch between 

 the spinous and articulated portions. Such are — Pekc-enina 

 (Giinther) — Perca; Percichthys (Girard); Labrnx; Lates ; 

 Cnldon (Miiller) ; Psammoperca (Richardson) ; Percahbrax 

 (Schlegel); Acerina; Percarinu (Nordmann) ; Lvcioperca; 

 Asp7-o; Etelis; Grammistes; Po^onq/jerca (Giinther) ; Centro- 

 pomus; Niphon; JCnopiosas ; Lembus (Giinther') ; Oreosoma. 



Others have one dorsal only — Seranina (Giinther) — Aprion; 

 Apsi/ti^; Centvopristis (Giinther); Callanthlas (Lowe); Anlhia^; 

 Si'rrnuus ; Prionodus (.Jenyns) ; Plectropoiiw. ; Trachifpoma 

 (Giinther); Pohjprion; lifii/ptleux ; Atducocepkalus {Sch\e<l^e\') ; 

 BiplopTwn ; Myriodon (Barneville) ; Dlacope (vel Genyoroge, 

 Cantor) ; Mesoprion ; Glimcosoma (Schlegel) ; and Pentaceros. 



Most of the typical Percoids are light agreeable 

 articles of diet, and some are in high esteem. None 

 has been more celebrated than the Basse [Lahrax 

 lirpiis). By the ancient Greeks it was so highly 

 valued, that Archistratus calls a Basse brought from 

 Milet, " OU'spring of the gods." It had replaced the 

 Sturgeon as highest in repute at feasts, in the days of 

 Augustus ; and it was a matter of importance to ascer- 

 tain the exact localitj' of the ca])ture of a Basse. At 

 certain seasons the Basse of rivers was most prized, 

 particularly those taken between the two bridges over 

 the Tiber. These were the younger fish, and wero 



