134 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Genus V. — Capros, Lacepede. 



SrancMostegals five : pseKdobranchice well developed. Body elevated and 

 compressed. Mouth very protractile. Small teeth in the jaws and vomer, hid absent 

 from the palatine bones and tongue. Ttvo dorsal fins placed close together, the first, 

 ivith nine strong spines : the second many rayed (23-25) : atial with three spines, 

 and the rays similar to those of the second dorsal. Ventral with one spine and 

 five rays. Scales srtiall and very rough : a scaly, but no bony, ridge along the 

 bases of the soft dorsal and anal fins. Air-bladder large. Pyloric appendages few. 



Lowe instituted in 1843 Family CAPROiDiE for the reception of tbis genus, and 

 the allied one of Antigonia, Lowe, whicli latter is identical with Gaprophonus, 

 Miiller and Troschel, and has been obtained from Madeira as well as Barbadoes. 

 Hypsinotits ruhescens. Tern, and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, plate xlii, f. 2, 

 appears very similar to, if not identical with, Gapros, but having a smaller eye 

 than the European species ; should this be tbe case, it is another instance of fishes 

 extending from European into Japanese waters. The Gapros is not very distantly 

 allied to the Dorees, Zeus. 



Geographical distribution. — From the shores of the Britist Isles to Madeira, 

 also through, the Mediterranean. 



1. Capros aper, Plate XLVII, fig. 2. 



Aper, Rondel, v, c. 27, p. 161, c. fig. ; Aldrov. iii, c. 12, p. 297 ; Jonston, i, 

 tit. i, c. 1, Art. 4, t. i, f . 8 ; Willughby, p. 296, t. 1 4, fig. 4 ; Ray, p. 99 ; Artedi, 

 Genera, p. 60 ; Gesner, 1698, f. 30, c. fig. 



Zeus aper, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 456 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1225 ; Bl. Schn. p. 96 

 Bonnaterre, Ency. Ich. p. 73 ; Jenyns, Manual, p. 368. 



Perca pusilla, Briinn. Ich. Mass. p 62; Gmel. Linn. p. 1311 ; Bl. Schn. p. 88 

 Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 550. 



Perca brunnich, Lacep. ix, p. 412. 



Gapros aper, Lacep. iv, p. 691 ; Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 305, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 380 ; 

 Boase, Pro. Zool. Soo. 1833, p. 114; Harvey, P. Z. S. 1836, p. 54; Yarrell, Brit. 

 Fishes (Ed. 1) i, p. 169, c, fig. (Ed. 2), i, p. 190 (Ed. 3), ii, p. 258 ; Swainson, 

 Fishes, ii, p. 252 ; Kidd, Zoologist, 1843, p. 91, c. fig.; Cuv. and Val. x. p. 30, 

 pi. cclxxxi ; Guichen. Explor. Alger. Sc. Poiss. p. 65 ; Cuv. Regne Anim. 111. 

 Poiss. pi. Ix, f. 2 ; Lowe, Trans. Zool. Soc. ii, p. lH3 ; Andrews, Nat. Hist. Rev. 

 1858, p. 188 ; Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (3j, 1866, xvii, p. 237 ; White, 

 Catal. Brit. Fish, p. 41; Gunther, Catal. ii, p. 495 ; Canest. Faun. Ital. p. Ill ; 

 Giglioli, Catal. Pesc. Ital. p. 28 ; Steindachner, Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 46 ; 

 Moreau, Poiss. France, ii, jj. 475, c. fig. 



Zeus Childrenii, Bowd. Excur. Madeira, p. 124. 



Boar-fish, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, ii, p. 142, pi. xcvi. 



B. V, D. 9/23-25, P. 13, Y. 1/5, A. 3/23-24, Ccec. pyl. 2-3. Vert. 10/12-13. 



Length of head 3i to ^, of caudal fin 4f to 5, height of body 2J to 2\ in the 

 total length. Eye— In the upper half of the depth of the head, diameter 2^ to 2f 

 in the length of the head, 4/5 to 1 diameter from the end of the snout, and 2/3 

 to 3/4 of a diameter apart. Body strongly compressed, both the upper and lower 

 profiles of the snout concave. The bones of the head roughened, the posterior 

 limb of the premaxillaries extends backwards to opposite the middle of the eyes. 

 Jaws equal m length anteriorly, the posterior extremity of the maxilla does not 

 extend so far as to beneath the front edge of the eye. Preopercle serrated in 

 its whole extent, likewise, but not so coarsely, the saborbital ring. Posterior 

 nostril oval and much larger than the anterior, which is nearly circular. Teeth — ■ 

 minute in the jaws and on the vomer, none on the palatines or on the tongue. 

 Fins — spines of first dorsal strong, the third and fourth the longest, twice as high 

 £.5 the longest rays, and equalling about half the height of the body below 



