164 PISCES. 



posed of four or five excessively small rays. The teeth arc pointed 

 and not crowded^ the mouth is directed upwards, and the eye very 

 large. There are six rays in the branchiae, and the abdominal cavity 

 occupies nearly the whole length of the body. 



L. cepedianus, Giorna, Mem. of the Imp. Acad, of Turin, 

 1805, 1808, p. 19, pi. 2. The Only species known; it is found, 

 though rarely, in the Mediterranean, and becomes very large.(l) 



FAMILY IX. 

 THEUTYES. 



Our ninth family is as closely allied to the Scomberoides as 

 the preceding one, but in other points ; such as the armature, 

 which is found iu several genera on the sides of the tail, or in 

 others, the horizontal spine before the dorsal, &c. It con- 

 tains but very few genera ; they are all foreign, and have a 

 compressed, oblong body, a small mouth, but slightly or not at 

 all protractile, each jaw of which is armed with a single range 

 of trenchant teeth ; palate and tongue without teeth, and a 

 single dorsal. They are herbivorous, feeding on fucus and 

 other marine plants ; their intestines are very large. 



SiGANUS, Forsk. — Buro, Commer. — Centrog aster, Hout. 

 — AMrnACANTiius, Bloch. 



These fishes have a remarkable character — unique, in icthyology — 

 in their ventrals, which are furnished with two spinous rays, one 

 external, the other internal, the three intermediate ones branching 

 as usual. They have five branchial rays, and a horizontal spine 

 before the dorsal. The styloid bones of their shoulder curve as they 

 lengthen, so as to unite at their extremities with the first interspinal 

 of the anal. (2) 



Numerous species are found in the Indian Ocean. (3) 



(1) The description of Giorna is imperfect, because he only had a mutilated 

 specimen of whose origin he was ignorant. I drew mine from an individual more 

 than four feet in length, taken at Genoa. See An. Mus. XX, xvii. 



(2) Geoffr., Phil. Anat. I, 471, and pi. ix, f. 108. 



(3) Theutis jams, L., Gronov., Zoophyl., pi. VIII, f. 4.;—Sigamis steUaius, 

 Forsk.; — imphac. pundatus, EL, Schn., or Acunthurus mckugris, Shaw; — Buro 

 hrunneus, Commers., Lacep., V, 421; — JSiganus rivulatus, Forsk; — Jlmphac nebu- 



