﻿112 
  ME. 
  E. 
  T. 
  NEWTON 
  ON 
  A 
  NEW 
  SPECIES 
  OF 
  

  

  5. 
  Description 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  Species 
  of 
  Cltjpea 
  (C. 
  vectensis) 
  from 
  

   Oligocene 
  Steata 
  in 
  the 
  Isle 
  oe 
  Wight. 
  By 
  E. 
  T. 
  "Newton, 
  

   Esq., 
  E.G.S. 
  (Read 
  November 
  21, 
  1888.) 
  

   [Plate 
  IV.] 
  

  

  Me. 
  G. 
  W. 
  Colenutt, 
  of 
  Hyde, 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  investigating 
  the 
  

   Oligocene 
  strata 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Wight, 
  

   and 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  researches 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  August 
  number 
  

   of 
  the 
  ' 
  Geological 
  Magazine 
  ' 
  *. 
  Among 
  the 
  numerous 
  fossils 
  

   he 
  has 
  obtained 
  from 
  these 
  deposits, 
  none 
  are 
  more 
  interesting 
  

   than 
  the 
  small 
  fishes 
  which 
  occur, 
  apparently 
  in 
  some 
  numbers, 
  

   in 
  a 
  grey 
  shaly 
  clay 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Osborne 
  Series," 
  at 
  King's 
  

   Quay 
  and 
  other 
  localities. 
  The 
  best 
  examples, 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Colenutt 
  

   kindly 
  sent 
  me 
  for 
  examination, 
  vary 
  in 
  length 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  60 
  milli- 
  

   metres. 
  Most 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  the 
  back 
  concave 
  and 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   wide 
  open, 
  seeming 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  they 
  died 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  tetanus, 
  

   probably 
  due 
  to 
  asphyxiation, 
  as 
  their 
  condition 
  is 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  

   that 
  of 
  fishes 
  which 
  have 
  died 
  from 
  being 
  kept 
  in 
  too 
  small 
  a 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  water. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  these 
  fossil 
  fishes 
  are 
  beautifully 
  preserved, 
  with 
  the 
  

   vertebral 
  column, 
  ribs, 
  fins, 
  and 
  tail 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  positions. 
  

   The 
  heads 
  also 
  are 
  present, 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   mutilated, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  cannot 
  be 
  well 
  deciphered. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  examples, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  four 
  well 
  preserved 
  (PI. 
  IV. 
  

   figs. 
  1, 
  2, 
  3), 
  measure 
  from 
  43 
  to 
  58 
  millimetres 
  in 
  length. 
  These 
  

   vary 
  somewhat 
  in 
  form, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  examples 
  figured 
  ; 
  

   but 
  this 
  is 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  pressure, 
  as 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  precisely 
  alike 
  

   in 
  other 
  particulars. 
  The 
  single 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  has 
  14 
  or 
  15 
  rays, 
  and 
  is 
  

   placed 
  as 
  nearly 
  as 
  possible 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  the 
  front 
  rays 
  

   being 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  snout 
  and 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  tail. 
  

   The 
  ventral 
  fins 
  are 
  directly 
  under 
  the 
  front 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  

   and 
  about 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  pectoral 
  and 
  anal 
  fins. 
  In 
  only 
  

   one 
  example 
  can 
  I 
  count 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  fin, 
  and 
  this 
  has 
  

   eight 
  or 
  nine. 
  The 
  pectoral 
  fin 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  specimens, 
  

   and 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  it 
  has 
  nine 
  rays, 
  the 
  longest 
  reaching 
  about 
  

   halfway 
  to 
  the 
  ventral 
  fin. 
  The 
  vent 
  is 
  situated 
  midway 
  between 
  

   the 
  ventral 
  fin 
  and 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  anal 
  fin, 
  which 
  has 
  

   sixteen 
  or 
  seventeen 
  rays, 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  vent 
  for 
  about 
  two 
  

   thirds 
  of 
  the 
  distance 
  between 
  the 
  latter 
  and 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  tail. 
  

   The 
  tail 
  itself 
  is 
  deeply 
  forked 
  and 
  has 
  about 
  twenty 
  rays. 
  

  

  The 
  scales 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  thin, 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  too 
  

   much 
  broken 
  to 
  allow 
  anything 
  definite 
  to 
  be 
  said 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  form 
  

   and 
  structure. 
  One 
  or 
  two 
  specimens, 
  however 
  (figs. 
  1, 
  2), 
  give 
  

   some 
  idea 
  of 
  their 
  size, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  about 
  

   nine 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  between 
  the 
  dorsal 
  and 
  ventral 
  fins, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  forty 
  

   or 
  fifty 
  between 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  tail. 
  To 
  the 
  naked 
  eye 
  the 
  scales 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  devoid 
  of 
  ornament, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  a 
  microscope 
  

  

  * 
  Dee. 
  iii. 
  vol. 
  v. 
  p. 
  358 
  (1888). 
  

  

  