582 FISHES. 



Second Family — -ScopELiDiE. 



Body nalced or scaly. Margin of the upper, jaw formed ly 

 the intermaxillary only ; opercular apparatus sometimes in- 

 completely developed. Barlels none. Gill-opening very wide ; 

 pseudoh'anchice well developed. Air -Madder none. Adipose 

 fin present. The eggs are enclosed in the sacs of the ovary, and 

 excluded hy oviducts. Pyloric appendages few in number or 

 absent. Intestinal tra^t very short. 



Exclusively marine, the majority being either pelagic or 

 deep-sea forms. Of fossil remains the following have been 

 referred to this family : — Osmeroides, from Mount Lebanon, 

 which others believe to be a marine salmonoid ; Semisaurida, 

 from Comen, allied to Saurus ; Parascopelus and Anapterus, 

 from the miocene of Licata, the latter genus allied to 

 Paralepis. 



Saurus (inclus. Saurida).- — Body sub-cylindrical, rather elong- 

 ate, covered with scales of moderate size ; head oblong ; cleft of 

 the mouth very wide ; intermaxillary very long, styliform, taper- 

 ing ; maxillary thin, long, closely adherent to the intermaxillary. 

 Teeth card-like, some being elongate, slender ; all can be laid 

 downwards and inwards. Teeth on the tongue, and palatine 

 bones. Eye of moderate size. Pectorals short ; ventrals eight- 

 or nine-rayed, inserted in advance of the dorsal, not far behind 

 the pectorals. Dorsal fin nearly in the middle of the length of 

 the body, with thirteen or less rays ; adipose fin small ; anal 

 short or of moderate length ; caudal forked. 



Fifteen species of small size, from the shores of the 

 tropical and sub-tropical zones. The species figured on 

 p. 42, Fig. 5, occurs on the north-west coast of Australia and 

 in Japan. 



Bathysaurus. — Shape of the body similar to that of Saurus, 

 sub-cylindrical, elongate, covered with small scales. Head de- 

 pressed, with the snout produced, flat above. Cleft of the mouth 



