Reviews — Fritsch's Fermian Pishes of Bohemia. 41 



generic determination of the speoies be correct, as seems likely, 

 there need be no hesitation in referring it to the SemionotidaB to 

 which the typical English species undoubtedly belong ; but the 

 hinder half of the Bohemian fish still remains to be discovered. 



The description of the Palgeoniscidee is prefaced by von Zittel's 

 definition of the family, and a translation of the Synopsis of the 

 known genera given in the British Museum Catalogue of Fossil 

 Fishes. The difficulty of recognising some of the characters 

 mentioned in this Synopsis is also briefly remarked upon. It would 

 have been more satisfactory, however, if Dr. Fritsch had likewise 

 been able to discuss the still more difficult question of the genera 

 of Paleeoniscidge described by Dr. Sauvage from the Permian of 

 France, which may be assumed to have their counterparts in 

 Bohemia. Perhaps this subject is reserved for the general chapter 

 on the Palgeoniscidge, which is wisely postponed until the detailed 

 descriptions of the Bohemian Permian genera and species are 

 completed. 



The new generic name Fyritocephalus is proposed for a small 

 species previously recorded as Palceoniscus sculptus. It belongs to 

 the group to which Canobius and AmhUjpterus are referred, and is 

 remarkable for the close ornamentation of the head with large 

 raised lines of ganoine. The fins are small, the dorsal opposed to 

 the anal ; and the scales are smooth, not deepened on the flank. 



Another fish described as a new genus, and one of the gi'eatest 

 interest, is Sceletophoriis, with the single species S. biserialis, Tliis, 

 too, is an Amblypteroid, but with very thin serrated scales and no 

 fulcra even on the median fins. A few rounded scales immediately 

 above the pectoral fin are described, and remains of the axial 

 skeleton in the abdominal region are interpreted as displaying 

 elongated ring-vertebrse. If this view be correct, Palgeoniscidge are 

 shown for the first time with completed vertebral centra. We 

 believe, however, that the " wirbelrohre " are merely the crushed 

 bases of the neural arches through which the spinal chord passed 

 (for they are no larger than the canal of the lateral line of the 

 same fish) ; and in the specimen figured (pi. 116, fig. 1) the small 

 haemal elements may well be regarded as displaced upwards over 

 the open space originally occupied by the notochord. Another fish, 

 which Dr. Fritsch thinks may possibly prove to be the young of 

 a species of Sceletophoriis, is provisionally assigned to Fhanerosteon 

 under the name of F. pauper. This has scales only on the upper 

 caudal lobe, and also displays traces of the endoskeleton, which are 

 supposed to include hollow cylindrical vertebral centra. Here, 

 again, the cartilages in question are disproportionately small, but 

 the drawing does not enable us to make any suggestion as to their 

 true nature ; we can only regard them as much too problematical 

 to be used for modifying current views as to the nature of the 

 vertebral axis in the Palseoniscid fishes. 



Amhlypterus itself follows, and Dr. Fritsch decides to adopt the 

 comprehensive definition of the genus first suggested by Traquair. 

 He points out, however, that the numerous species can be arranged 



