FAMILY, II-SCOPELID^. 503 



Family, II— SCOPELID^, Muller. 



Branchiostegals as a rule numerous. PseudobranchiaB well developed. Gill-openings very wide. 

 Opercular pieces sometimes incomplete. Margin of the upper jaw formed by the premaxillaries. Barbels 

 absent. Two dorsal fins, the posterior being adipose. Scales present or absent. Ova enclosed in sacs in 

 the ovaries and excluded by oviducts. Intestinal canal short. Pyloric appendages, when present, few in 

 number. Air-vessel small or absent. 



Geographical distribution. — These fishes, which in many respects are allied to the Sih/raids, appear to be 

 distributed throughout tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate seas. 



SYNOPSIS OF GENERA. 



1. SoMms. A single band of palatine teeth. Ventral with eight rays, the inner being the longest. 



2. Saurida. Two parallel bands of palatine teeth. Ventral with nine rays : the inner not much longer 

 than the outer ones. 



3. Harpodon. Premaxillaries but no superior maxUlaries. Bones of head soft. Ventral with nine rays. 

 Caudal tri-lobed. Thin and deciduous scales present in the last three-fourths of the body. 



4. Scopelus. Bones of head ossified. Scales rather large. Luminous spots along the body. 



Genus, 1 — Saueus, sp. Cvmer. 

 SynodMs, pt. Gronovius ; LoAMiida, pt. (Aristotle) Swainson. 



Brcmckiostegals from eight to seventeen. Oill-openings very wide, the gill-membranes not attached to the 

 isthrrms. Body elongated, subcylind/rieal : head oblong, mizzle short. Eyes of moderate size, lateral. Gape of mouth 

 wide, cleft very deep : edge of the upper jaw entirely formed by long amd thin premaxillaries : the maxillami likewise 

 elongated, thin, and adherent to the premaxillaries. Teeth numerous, pointed, some a/re elongated, slender, and can be 

 laid downwards cmd inwards 1 they exist on the jaws, tongue and palatine bones, a single band being on the palate and 

 usually none or only a few on the vomer. First dorsal with a moderate number of rays, situated nea/rly in the middle 

 of the length of the fish : adipose fin small. Ventral with eight rays, the internal ones being the longest : it is inserted 

 anterior to the origin of the dorsal and not far behind the pectorals, vjhioh a/re short: anal of moderate length or short. 

 GoMdal forked. Scales of moderate size. Lateral-line entire. Pyloric appendages few. 



Geographical distribution, — Tropical portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans ; Mediterranean. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 



1. Saums Indicus, D. 13/0, A. 9, L. 1. 55-57, L. tr. 3|/7. Head pointed. Madras. 



2. Saurus myops, D. 12-13/0, A. 16-17, L. I. 52-56, L. tr. 3|/7. Snout obtuse. A black shoulder spot. 

 Longitudinal Hnes along the body. Seas of India and tropical portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 



1. Saurus Indicus, Plate CXVII, fig. 4, 



Day, Journal of Linnean Society, Zoology, xi, 1873, p. 526. 



B. xy, D. 13/0, P. 14, V. 8, A. 9, C. 19, L. 1. 55-57, L. tr. 3i/7. 



Length of head 4^^, of caudal 7i, height of body 74 to 8 in the total length. l!yes—\ni\ioui adipose lids, 

 diameter 6f in the length of head, rather more than 1 diameter from the end of snout, and nearly 1 apart : the 

 width of the snout at its base equals its length. Greatest width of the head not quite 1/2 its length. _ Inter- 

 orbital space somewhat concave. Upper jaw slightly the longer. Cleft of mouth extending to far behind the 

 eyes. The hinder portion of the frontal and occipital bones on the summit of the head corrugated. Teeth — the 

 inner row in the jaws the longest, some in the mandible barbed. Five rows of large teeth on the tongue. A 

 single band on the palatines of which the inner row is much the largest. Fins — dorsal about as long as high. 

 Pectoral reaches to the tenth scale of the lateral-line. Inner ventral rays the longest, the fin reaches nearly 

 halfway to the base of the anal. Caudal deeply forked. Soales—V? rows between occiput and base of dorsal 

 fin. Those along the lateral-Hne rather raised, but not distinctly keeled. CoZows— brownish in the upper two- 

 thirds, dirty white beneath. Numerous bluish irregular spots or blotches along the back and sides, in places 

 almost forming horizontal bands. Dorsal and caudal white, with grayish spots, forming irregular horizontal 

 bands. 



Habitat. — Madras to 7 inches in length. 



