THE ORDERS OF TELEOSTOMOUS FISHES 493 



a condition independently acquired elsewhere, notably by the 

 labroid or pharyngognathous fishes among Acanthopterygians. 

 The upper pharyngeals are variously enlarged and afford good 

 differential characters for splitting the group up into families 

 (Starks, Jordan). A peculiar and characteristic detail is the 

 position of the lateral line, which is concurrent with the belly. 

 The Sauries (Scombresocidae proper) "bear strong analogical 

 resemblances to the mackerels in form, color, and habits, as 

 well as in the dorsal and anal finlets ' ' (Starks) . Hence the name 

 -Scombresocidae or mackerel pikes. 



Belone and Scombresox axe known from the Upper Miocene of 

 Croatia and Algeria, while Hemirhamphus is recorded from the 

 Upper Eocene of Monte Bolca near Verona, Italy. Jordan 

 (1905, p. 214) suggests that the genera Exoccetus, Exonautes, 

 and Cypselurus are of very recent [?Upper Tertiary] origin. 

 Boulenger (1904, p. 632) thinks that Protaulopsis, hitherto re- 

 ferred to the Sea-horse assemblage may belong to the Synentog- 

 nathi. 



Superorder Thoracostraci 1 Swinnerton. 

 (Plate XXIX.) 



This superorder, which has been shown by several authors 

 to be a natural group, embraces (1) the order Hemibranchii of 

 Cope, including the Gasterosteridae or Sticklebacks, the Aulo- 

 rhynchidae or Tube-snouts, the Protosyngnathidae, the Aulos- 

 tomidae, the Pistulariidae or Cornet-fishes, the Macrorham- 

 phosidae or Snipe-fishes, the Centriscidae, the Amphisilidae ; (2) the 

 Lophobranchii of Cuvier, including the Solenostomatidae or 

 Tube-mouths, the Syngnathidae or Pipe-fishes and Sea-horses. 

 (The Pegasidae which are usually treated as Lophobranchs are 

 discussed on p. 505) 



Setting aside for the moment the peculiar lines of specializa- 

 tion of this order, we have left certain primary ancestral charac- 

 ters in which the group resembles the Synentognathi and the 



t^wpal, thorax, oarpaKov, potsherd, shelly test, in allusion to the 

 -shelly exoskeleton of many of the forms. 



(Phthinobranchii Hay, Hemibranchii Cope, Lophobranchii Cuvier, 

 Physoelisti in part.) 



