200 FISHES. 



cidce, represented by several very distinct genera : Beryx ; 

 Pseudoberyx vidth. abdominal ventral fins ; Berycopsis v^ith 

 .cycloid scales; Somonotus, Stenostoma, Sphenocephalies, Acanus, 

 Hoplopteryx, Platycornus "with granular scales ; Podocys with, 

 a dorsal extending to the neck ; Acrogaster, Macrolepis, 

 Bhacolepis from the chalk of Brazil. The position of Pycnos- 

 terynx is uncertain, it approaches certain Pharyngognaths. 

 True Percidm are absent, whilst the Carangidcc, Sphyrcenidce, 

 Cataphracti, GoMidce, Cottidcc, and Sparidce are represented 

 by one or more genera. Somewhat less diversified are 

 the Physostomes, which belong principally to the Clupeidce 

 and Bercetidm, most of the genera being extinct ; Clupea is 

 abundant in some localities. Scopelidm {Hemisaurida and 

 Saurocephalus) occur in the chalk of Comen in Istria, and of 

 Msestricht. Of aU cretaceous deposits none surpass those 

 of the Lebanon with regard to the number of genera, species, 

 and individuals ; the forms are exclusively marine, and the 

 remains in the most perfect condition. 



In the Tertiary epoch the Teleosteans have almost entirely 

 replaced the Ganoids ; a few species only of the latter make 

 their appearance, and they belong to existing genera, or, at 

 least, very closely allied forms {Lepidosteus, Amia, Hypamia, 

 Acipetiser). The Chondropterygians merge more and more 

 into recent forms ; HolocephaU continue, and still are better 

 represented than in the present fauna. The Teleosteans 

 show even in the Eocene a large proportion of existing 

 genera, and the fauna of some localities of the Miocene 

 (Oeningen) is almost whoUy composed of them. On the 

 whole, hitherto more than one-half have been found to belong 



o 



to existing genera, and there is no doubt that the number 

 of seemingly distinct extinct genera wiU be lessened as the 

 fossils win be examined with a better knowledge of the living 

 forms. The distribution of the fishes differed widely from 



